The Princess and The Wolf
by Takeru97
Summary: Sakura is a beautiful princess with the dream of going on an adventure. Syaoran is a peasant who came as a traveler to the Kinomoto Kingdom. What will happen when the Clow Cards cause their destinies to intertwine?
1. Chapter 1 'The Princess & The Wolf'

**'The Princess & The Wolf'**

**Kinomoto Castle**

The birds chirped merrily as the sun began to rise. The green meadows surrounding the castle slowly came into view. The sun's radiant rays lit up the sky and freshness filled the air. It was spring time and the scent of the beautiful cherry blossoms was carried by the gentle breeze. Flowers of different colors and shades were scattered clumsily on the grassy plains giving it an extravagant look- daisies, peonies, roses; you name it!

In the midst of the scenic grassland stood a beautiful castle. The castle walls shone brilliantly against the sun's rays and gave off a glamorous glow, making it look as if it was made of pure gold. It was huge. Built thirty stories high, it was probably the largest castle one would see while travelling these lands. The castle towered over a few small houses that were a part of the village. The meadow surrounded the castle and the meadow was surrounded by a band of colossal walls.

Standing in the balcony outside her room, she breathed in the scent of the natural beauty that was in front of her.

_Absolutely breath-taking_. She thought and smiled. Leaning against the railing, her emerald poles searched across the land for any pink trees. _Cherry blossoms, my favorite!_ As soon as she spotted them she felt like leaping out of her balcony to the field below.

But she knew better than to do such a thing. Firstly because her balcony was at least two- hundred and a half feet away from the ground. Secondly the people in the castle would not be very pleased if they found out.

Sighing, she turned away to return to her room. Living in the castle was no fun. How she wished to be free and to go out on an exciting adventure across the jungles and forests to the great beyond! _But that'll probably never happen…_ she realized, sadly.

"But it won't stop me from hoping. Right?!" She assured herself.

She grinned and danced around in her gigantic room thinking about the wonderful experiences she would get to have if she went out on an adventure. _Oh an adventure! _She thought merrily.

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. You know that don't you?"

The voice made her lose her footing and caused her to end up on the floor. She pouted, annoyed, at the man who stood at the door. The man wore an expensive battle suit that complimented his lean figure perfectly. He had black hair and brown eyes. His facial features were sharp.

"Get out of my room, Touya!" she screamed, angrily.

"Why would I want to come inside a monster's room anyway?" That was all he said before leaving with a playful smirk on his face.

"I'm not a monster! Geez Toya. I wish you'd grow up!" was all she had to retort.

She got up from the floor and headed towards the huge mirror on the side of her room to fix her sleeping gown. She sighed after looking at her reflection.

She had become fifteen yesterday and she longer looked like a child. The curves in her slender body were becoming more and more prominent. Her auburn hair hung a few inches below her shoulder. She began growing her hair out a few days ago.

Her eyes were of the deepest and purest shade of green and anyone who looked at them would be forever lost in them. She was without a doubt the most beautiful girl across the land. Whenever she looked at her own eyes she was always reminded of her mother. She sighed again_. I miss you, Mother..._

A knock at the door woke her up from what seemed like a trance.

"Princess Sakura, may I come in?"

"Please do. Good Morning."

Sakura smiled and turned around to meet Aya, her maid and good friend. She was a few years older than Sakura.

"Good Morning Princess" Aya smiled and greeted.

In her hands she carried what looked like a purple dress. Sakura, seeing the dress, gave Aya a confused look.

Aya immediately understood. "Princess Tomoyo would be coming over today. I think she would be delighted if you wore the dress she made for you last week."

Sakura smiled. "How very thoughtful of you, Aya. Tomoyo's gonna love it! Here, please help me change."

Sakura changed into a purple dress which had full sleeves. The dress hugged the body well and went down to her ankles. It was simple, yet elegant. Sakura sighed with relief. This was one of the few designs in which Tomoyo did not go overboard.

After dressing up, Sakura headed downstairs. The castle was huge inside. It was very beautiful as well. The floors and walls were decorated with expensive marble. A long wide staircase covered with red carpet led to throne room.

Sakura skipped merrily down the steps. In the throne room, behind the large throne, was a large painting of Queen Nadeshiko. She had passed away when Sakura was only three years-old because of illness. Although Sakura did not have many memories of her, she still missed her mother. She stood there silently in the throne room, looking at Nadeshiko's painting, and did not notice her father approaching her.

"Good Morning. Sakura. You are looking absolutely lovely today." Fujitaka greeted his daughter with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Father. Thank you. I'm waiting for Tomoyo." Sakura turned around to meet her father. He was wearing a red robe which was so long that it reached the floor. His round glasses gave him a fatherly look. He had auburn hair like Sakura and brown eyes like Toya. Before sitting on his throne, he went up to the Queen's painting and whispered.

"Ohayo. Nadeshiko-chan."

Sakura smiled at her father. It was clear that he still loved his wife dearly.

"I apologize for interrupting, but Princess Tomoyo's carriage has arrived" Aya reported as she appeared from behind.

"Oh, that's alright. Thank you for letting me know. I'm going to meet her outside." Sakura turned back to father and bowed politely.

Fujitaka laughed. "Go have fun my dear. Give Tomoyo my greetings."

"I will, Father." Sakura smiled, and rushed outside to meet her best friend.

Tomoyo was the princess of the Daidouji castle. Her mother Sonomi was a distant cousin of Sakura's mother Nadeshiko. Tomoyo and Sakura were childhood friends and they were absolutely inseparable. Tomoyo's hobby was to design clothes and outfits. She always used Sakura as a model for her designs because, according to her, Sakura was the most beautiful girl in the whole world.

"Good Morning, Tomoyo! It's so nice to see you! I've missed you so much! How are you?" Sakura greeted Tomoyo whole-heartedly with a hug as soon as she came down from her carriage.

"Sakura! I've missed you too. Is that my dress you're wearing? It looks absolutely gorgeous on you! Oh my God! You look even prettier than you usually do!"

Sakura was a bit taken aback. _But then again, that's Tomoyo for you! _She thought happily. Sakura nodded at her friend, "I love this dress Tomoyo! I think you should become a designer. I haven't seen anyone who design better clothes than you!"

It seemed as if Tomoyo did not hear a word Sakura just said. She went forward to touch Sakura's hair. "Oh my God! You're growing out your hair! I always told you that you should do it! You look absolutely amazing!"

Sakura laughed nervously. She was getting a bit uncomfortable, but nevertheless, she was used to this. "Come on, let's go sit by the fountain and have tea!" Sakura offered cheerfully. Tomoyo nodded. "We have a lot of catching up to do!"

Aya came in with two cups of tea.

"Thank you, Aya. It's so nice to see you." Tomoyo greeted. Aya bowed politely and left.

"I heard that you're getting engaged Tomoyo! Come on, tell me all about it!"

Tomoyo's expression darkened after hearing that. _That's weird I've never seen Tomoyo like this. _Sakura blinked, confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes, about the engagement- I'm getting married to Prince Hiragizawa" Tomoyo spoke with sadness in her voice.

"Is that so? Well, do you not like him?" Sakura added, worriedly.

"It's not that though. I've never even met him. The weird thing is that my mother had never met him either. One day, she just came to me and said that I have to marry him. She offered no explanation. And, I've never heard of our kingdom having any relationships with the Hiragizawa kingdom. It's all so sudden… I don't know if I'm ready and… I'm so confused."

"Don't worry Tomoyo! I'm sure your mother has good reasons for getting you married to this prince… and everything should be fine. Did you hear anything about this man from anybody?"

"Well, I heard that he is about my age, probably a year older than me or something. I'm pretty glad about that. I heard that he has blue hair and eyes. I don't know anything else though. But, I'm not sure if I want to marry him without knowing about him or ever meeting him."

"He should be fine… don't worry! I don't like seeing you depressed. I like it better when you're all cheerful and making clothes for me!" Sakura tried her best to console her friend.

"I guess you're right. I feel so much better after talking to you. You're such a good friend!" Tomoyo smiled. "But what about you? I heard that you've been getting a lot of suitors lately!" Tomoyo asked with a sly look in her amethyst eyes.

"Yeah. The suitors are coming every day. But Toya always manages to drive them away by giving them the cold shoulder. That's the only one thing I appreciate about my brother. I don't want to get married now. Besides, I think the only thing they're after is the kingdom's wealth."

"But you would make such a lovely wife Sakura. I can't wait to design your wedding dress." Tomoyo announced enthusiastically. "Hey, isn't that your brother over there?"

Sakura turned around to see her Touya riding a white horse across the grassy field. Following Toya were the other members of the Royal Knights. The Royal Knights were a group of noblemen that were skilled in the fighting and combat. Toya was the strongest member of the group. Even the prince had to go through the rigorous training of becoming a Royal Knight. The group's duty was to protect the royal family from harm.

Sakura sighed. _If only girls were allowed to train for being a Royal Knight. It must feel so thrilling and adventurous! I want to learn how to use the sword and fight like a true warrior... just like Touya._

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. I'm sure you would make a great warrior. You would be beautiful and strong!" Tomoyo cheered.

Tomoyo was born with a special ability to read people's thoughts. It's a handy ability, but it gets kind of disturbing when Sakura wants to keep her privacy. Sakura turned back at the Royal Knights. She blushed as soon as she spotted the gray-haired young man who was also riding a white horse.

_Oh my God, it's Yukito! He looks so dreamy with his hair flowing in the wind. Maybe marriage might not be a bad idea once you think about it. _Sakura shook her head with realization. _Don't be ridiculous he only thinks of you as a younger sister... Nothing more. _

Sakura sighed, sadly, and turned towards Tomoyo.

"Don't lose hope Sakura. If you guys are meant to be together then I'm sure that destiny will lead your way." Tomoyo assured her.

She didn't have to read Sakura's mind to know what she was think about. She wasn't really keen about the idea though. Tomoyo believed that it was just puppy love. But, nevertheless, she wanted to support Sakura and everything she did. It was the least she could do for her best friend.

"Well, I just hope that he notices me. I just want him to see me for who I am- Not just a little girl who happens to be his best friend's younger sister."

"Of course." Tomoyo nodded with understanding.

Sakura looked towards the giant castle walls that were pretty far from where Tomoyo and she were sitting and sighed.

"Don't you ever wonder about what's happening outside?"

"Do you mean outside the castle?" Tomoyo blinked, confused.

"I'm talking about life in the villages. Or life in the mountains beyond the villages. Or even beyond that in other kingdoms! Places we don't even know about! I want to know how it feels to be free!" Excitement grew in the princess' voice.

"No, I haven't." Tomoyo answered, thoughtfully.

_Wow. Your wild imagination never ceases to surprise me. Well, that's what I love about you, Sakura. _Tomoyo smiled at the thought.

"Don't you ever feel that you're missing something exciting?

"Well, now that you brought it up, I guess…" Tomoyo giggled. _Although I'm looking at walking excitement right in front me. _

"I want to go on an adventure! Explore the world outside of this kingdom!" Sakura got up from her seat and spun around, gracefully.

Sakura's emerald poles shone brightly as she adamantly stared at the wall that barricaded the whole world from her.

**Kinomoto Village **

A huge block of wood flew up in the air as the crowd watched expectantly. There was a sharp 'swipe' followed consecutively by a few others. All of them in the same second. The piece of wood fell onto to the ground in the form of a pile of small logs. Every single one of them accurately shaped and equal in size.

The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled and the young boy took a humble bow. He put his sword back into his scabbard. The sword was long and slick. The hilt was black with red strings wrapped around it and yellow diamond decorations. The blade shone brightly in the daylight. One would believe that it was quite expensive.

The boy wore an undersized ragged green robe though. So that probably led the people to think otherwise about the sword. He was tall and thin, but had an athletic body for someone his age.

The crowd threw coins at his feet and dispersed.

_Oh I can sure get used to this. Maybe people in this village aren't so bad after all._

"Thank you dear. I needed those logs for the fire" An old lady who owned the piece of wood appeared behind him. He turned around.

He had messy brown hair and deep amber poles. Not many people had eyes of that shade in this village. It was obvious he was a traveler.

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I was of some help." The boy grinned happily with his hands bent behind his head. He then bent down to collect the money that was on the ground.

_I'm gonna need this for dinner. And, probably for a place to sleep as well_.

He started to count the coins and smiled.

_Yeah, that should do it! Guess this is my lucky day!_

The lady took out her own bag of coins. "Here you go dear. Ya earned it!" She handed the money to him happily.

"Thanks, but I already got my keep for today. I really appreciate it though!"

"Oh, well, at least stop by for some porridge. I'll make some with the fire from the logs you cut down for me."

"That'll be great. I'm starvin'." _This day just keeps getting better and better. _

The lady went back into the house. He was about to follow her inside until he heard someone call out to him.

"Those were some mad skills there."

He turned around towards the man who was wrapped in a dark cloak. He was amongst his audience without a doubt.

"Can I help you, Sir?" He felt that this man was here to talk about something serious.

"Oh yes you can, my son. In fact, you would be of great help to me." The man removed his hood to show his face. He had grey hair and silver eyes and looked quite old.

"Just so you know, I'm only visiting this village..."

"It's obvious that you're not from here." The man cut him short. "But that's not what I'm worried about. I have an offer you can't refuse."

He looked at the man quizzically.

The man smirked. "How rude of me. Allow me to in introduce myself. I'm Gareth. I'm one of the Royal Knights." He added the last part in a whisper so that no one else could hear him.

His eyes widened. This man wasn't fooling around. He could feel it.

"How would you like to work for the Kinomoto Castle? We could certainly use a man of your talents."

He was taken aback. One of his main reasons for coming to this village was for finding a job. But this was way beyond what he was looking for.

Gareth could easily tell that the boy was more than eager for the task. He smirked. His recruiting skills were better than ever.

Gareth brought his hand out towards the boy.

"Tell me son, what's your name?"

The boy stood their speechless for a moment or two. This was a bit hard to digest.

"…It's Syaoran."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Hiragizawa Kingdom**

The dark room was dimly lit by the crystal sphere that was located in the center of the room. He gazed intently at it.

_Its time._ He smirked

The chair he sat on was way too big for his size. His dark silhouette showed him to be a young man. His round glasses shone from the light emitted from the crystal sphere. It prevented his eyes from being seen. The blue haired boy bent towards the sphere. Things were about to get interesting. And he was NOT going to miss this.

A dark panther-like creature laid curled up beside his chair. It was probably asleep. It was huge. It was obviously not your average predator feline. Then again, an average panther won't be lying around in room like a tamed kitty cat.

Its eyes suddenly opened up to reveal azure sclera with sharp black pupils. The pupils moved around the room excitedly. Almost as if it was waiting for something- and that waiting is finally over.

The creature stood up and yawned loudly. A large butterfly-shaped crest on its chest lit up and illuminated the room further. It was blue- just like its eyes. That's not all that was blue. The black panther-like stretched out its forearms and from its back came out huge dark butterfly-wings with spots that had the shade of the brightest and shiniest sapphires.

It turned its head toward the sphere its master was looking at. He bore out his large off-white fangs. It seemed satisfied- very satisfied.

"Looks like someone's having fun." The creature spoke.

"Oh you have no idea. I waited so long for this."

The creature went back to its curled up position, but continued to look at the orb.

"But I must wonder. Whatever is the girl for?" A feminine voice from the darkness behind the room spoke up.

A woman wearing an elegant black dress levitated out of the darkness. She had long pink hair. But the darkness prevented her face from being seen. Just like the panther, she too had giant butterfly-wings. Only hers had red spots on them instead of blue.

"Princess Daidouji?"

Both the creature and the woman looked towards the young man with glasses, expecting him to finish. He laid back into his chair, looked away from the orb and clasped his hands together.

"I'm gonna use her to get closer to Card Captor." He smirked.

"Master, why would you even want to do that? You could easily do your job just by sitting idly in this place." The black animal-like creature licked its paw.

"He could." The woman with butterfly-wings answered for the young man. "But what would be the fun in that?" She waved her hand around like the answer to the question was pretty obvious.

The creature snarled at the woman and went back to its nap-taking position.

"Yeah whatever."

The boy laughed and faked a hurt expression.

"Spinel Sun, I was expecting you to have more faith in me. And don't worry, I'll be extra careful. If, that's what you're worried about."

He turned towards the winged woman, smiled, and then back towards the crystal sphere.

"Oh yeah, and Ruby Moon, we're gonna have a lot of fun. This girl. She's very powerful."

Ruby Moon looked toward the orb. It showed the visage of a certain green-eyed and auburn-haired princess.

"Princess Kinomoto. My, My. She's too pretty for her own good." Ruby Moon licked her lips and smiled.

Spinel Sun, the winged panther, looked at the princess, quite unimpressed.

"Oh jolly…"

"Don't fret Spinel. I'm sure you'll have your fill." The man spoke up again.

Ruby Moon looked at the young man's mischievous smile and laughed.

"You'll never change… Clow Reed."

The man bent towards the orb once again and waved his left hand over it. The visage that was being shown in it clouded up and disappeared.

He looked up to reveal the blue poles behind his circular spectacle frame. The malicious smile still stretched across his face.

"Let the games begin."

**Kinomoto Castle Colosseum**

The swords clashed. The metallic rebound rung through their ears.

"Not bad, Prince Touya."

"Hmph, Well, I am the best." The prince had a proud grin on his face.

He pushed his opponent's sword forward and then swung it out of his hand. There, done.

The prince withdrew his sword.

"And stop calling me that."

"Stop calling you what?" Yukito asked with a bright smile on his face, acting as if he didn't know what he was talking about.

"God dammit Yukito."

Touya turned around to walk away. He stopped midway to look back at his sparring partner.

"Oh yeah, don't think I didn't realize that you lost on purpose."

Yukito scratched his head unmindfully. The silly grin still on his face.

"Oh, however did you find out?" He asked Touya playfully, with the sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

"I'm gonna get you for that. You know that."

**In the Colosseum Sidelines **

Syaoran watched as the boy in front of him imitated Prince Touya's moves.

"Did you see that!? He was like all over him! There's no way anyone can stand up to the prince. He's the best of the best in the Royal Knights!"

"That so?" Syaoran asked cluelessly. He had no idea what was going on. This was his first day inside the kingdom.

The happy-go-lucky boy put his hand out towards Syaoran.

"Hi, I'm Yamazaki. Takaishi Yamazaki! But you can just call me Yamazaki! You seem like a new face. Not from around here. Definitely no."

Syaoran shook his hand nervously.

"Hey Yamazaki. I'm Syaoran." He introduced himself with a bent smile_. Why am I having a weird feeling about this guy? I mean, he seems pretty nice._

Yamazaki was waiting for him to finish with an expectant expression.

"Oh no, it's just Syaoran. I mean that's what they call me… And you're right. I'm not really from here. I came here from the far east."

"Oh. That' fine, I guess." Yamazaki said with an unsatisfied expression. But it quickly left his face. He forced himself beside Syaoran and put his arm around his back friendlily. Syaoran seemed a bit uneasy though.

"So welcome to the Kinomoto Kingdom! Trust me, yer gonna love it here! The people here are really nice."

"Well, I'm glad. I mean, umm, that's good know." Syaoran looked like he was about to throw up for some reason.

Yamazaki sent him a worried look. "Geez. Are ya okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Syaoran looked around the Colosseum.

There wasn't much of an audience today. But he did spot was a girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes. _Wow I've never seen eyes like those before_. He fell into a trance. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that made her look like an angel. _Wow, she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my whole life_. Her skin was as fair as snow and she seemed like she was glowing.

Yamazaki waved a hand in front of his face and he snapped out of it.

"Huh, what? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something."

"Looks like we got a day dreamer, huh?" Yamazaki joked.

"Anyway," Yamazaki pointed towards the other side of the Colosseum. "That's the king. King Fujitaka. And beside him is Princess Sakura, his daughter."

Syaoran gulped. _Nice going, idiot. Now you have a thing for the princess. THE PRINCESS! And, you even didn't notice that there were so many people surrounding her. They're all probably her bodyguards. Of all the people, you just had to look at her._ Syaoran shook his head violently. _Get her out of your head. For your own good._

Gareth walked towards the two boys.

"Lord Gareth!" Yamazaki stood up in salute.

Syaoran watched him and after full comprehension, did the same thing.

"Sit down, Takaishi! No one does that here." Gareth scolded him annoyedly.

Yamazaki gave him a sheepish smile. Gareth rolled his eyes.

"You boys are up."

He patted Syaoran on the shoulder encouragingly. "C'mon son, show me what you're made of. Go break a leg."

"What?" Syaoran asked, now as confused as ever.

"That's just an expression, don't worry. Boy, you need to lighten up!" Gareth assured him as soon as he understood what Syaoran was thinking_. This is gonna take a while._

"I, umm, apologize, I'm not used to this country's way of, umm, speaking…"

"Oh yeah? Whatever then. Just go grab your sword."

Syaoran brought himself together. When it came to combat, he always used his own trusty sword. He took out his scabbard from the wrapped around his waist. Fortunately, he got a change of new clothes once he was brought into the castle.

"Lord Gareth, may I use my own sword?" Syaoran asked him boldly. He was NOT going to fight without his sword.

"Well, sure. I mean the swords we use in the castle are one of a kind. The best I'd say. Do whatever you want. We'll call of the fight if it breaks though. I have high hopes for you, son. Just don't let me down, alright."

"I won't." said Syaoran, finally raising confidence in his voice.

"C'mon Syaoran!" Yamazaki was already on the battle ground.

"I'm coming." _This is it! Time to show'em what I'm made of_. Syaoran smiled.

**The Battle Ground**

"You ready, buddy? Want me to go easy on ya?" Yamazaki drew his sword.

"No. Give me your best shot. Cuz I'm gonna give it my all." Syaoran told him with steel determinism. He drew his sword out as well.

"Whatever you say buddy ol' pal." Yamazaki took his battle stance.

"It's now or never." And Syaoran took his.

Gareth looked at the two boys from above.

_That sword. Never seen anything like it before. _

"COMMENCE!"

Both the boys charged at each other. The swords clashed and locked.

"Hmph, you're pretty strong for someone your age." Yamazaki praised. But he wasn't going to back down.

"Not so bad yourself." Syaoran bit his bottom lip. He pushed and slashed. Yamazaki was taken aback but maintained his footing.

"Woah!" Yamazaki took a defensive stance. _This is bad_.

_That's it!_

Syaoran was waiting for this. He charged at the opponent smoothly, his sword held back, to deliver a devastating blow.

Yamazaki lifted his sword up to protect himself.

Another clash! This time with a lot more impact than before.

The blades vibrated. Yamazaki sworn he could've felt his hilt heat up. _What the heck's goin on?_

Syaoran pushed with more force.

_Harder!_

His face scrunched up and he looked fierce. The drastic change in his expression surprised both Yamazaki and Gareth.

Yamazaki heard a crack.

_Oh boy…_

Right before his eyes, his blade shattered into a million pieces. Luckily, Yamazaki closed his eyes just in time. He was thrown a few feet from where he was standing, holding hilt with a broken blade. He yelped in pain.

Syaoran jerked forward because of the momentum. His sword dropped from his hand. His arms were aching badly now. Probably just over-exerted himself. Nothing to worry about.

He rushed towards Yamazaki, who was being helped up. Yamazaki almost lost his consciousness.

"Wow... What was that?"

He looked at Syaoran to see his worried face.

"Don't worry buddy…" Yamazaki said dizzily. "You won fair and square…That was… amazing…"

He smiled sillily and gave Syaoran a thumbs up before fainting.

Two of the men carried him out of the Colosseum.

Syaoran looked at Gareth guiltily.

"I… don't know… what happened. Honestly." He looked down. His words were weak, even he himself didn't believe what he was saying.

Gareth patted him on the shoulder consolingly. He didn't know what happened either. But he wasn't disappointed.

"You got power and technique kid." Gareth smiled approvingly.

"But you need to learn how to control it. And perfect it."

Syaoran looked up towards him with an unsure expression.

Gareth laughed.

"You worried about Takaishi? He'll be fine! One of the strongest fellas I've ever seen!"

**Colosseum Sidelines**

"Do you think Takashi will be alright?!" Sakura asked worriedly with her hands clasped. He was one of her old childhood friends.

Chiharu, who was sitting beside her was almost in tears, her hands over her mouth.

"Don't worry Chiharu! He just fainted… I'm sure he'll be fine." Sakura consoled her putting holding her hand.

"I hope… I just wish he wasn't so reckless!" Chiharu said, as a tear escaped her eye.

Sakura smiled_. He'll be fine. Yamazaki's one of the best young fighters here in the kingdom. But what really made me curious was the new boy- never seen him before. He's pretty strong for his age. Didn't really get to look at his face though._

Sakura snapped out of it when one of the guards called out to her.

"Princess Sakura, Princess Kaho wants to have a word with you."

"What? Kaho's back?!" Sakura couldn't believe it. Sakura looked at Chiharu with a worried face. Chiharu smiled, wiping the tear from her face.

"Don't worry! I was gonna leave anyway. I need to pay a visit to that jackass." Chiharu pouted jokingly.

"Well, I'll see you later then, alright?"

"Sure."

The two girls hugged each other before parting.

**Battle Ground **

Syaoran watched as the princess leave. He shook his head.

_What are you even doing?_

"That's a nice blade you got there."

"Huh?"

Syaoran looked at his sword that laid on the ground. Not a single scratch on it. He picked it up and looked at Gareth.

He smiled.

"I had this ever since I can remember. Literally, I don't even remember when I got it. I guess… it was just… always with me."

Gareth nodded.

"I learned to use it at a very young age. It's the most valuable thing I have… It's the only thing I have." Syaoran said while dreamily examining the object.

"What's her name?"

Syaoran looked up at Gareth quizzically.

"Every fighter names their sword."

**Kinomoto Castle**

"Kaho!" Sakura ran towards her sister-in-law and hugged her tightly from behind.

Kaho was taken aback.

"Oh, Sakura!" She turned and hugged her back. "I've missed you so much!"

Sakura looked at beautiful red-haired woman in front her. She was only bit taller than Sakura now that she's grown.

A little four-year old peeked out from behind Kaho. She grinned happily at Sakura. One of her front teeth had fallen off recently and it made her look exceptionally cute.

Sakura bent down to have look at her niece.

"Hey there Rin! How's my little princess doing?"

"I'm great!" Rin said brightly.

She had beautiful black hair like Touya. Sakura patted her on her head lovingly and stood up. Kaho smiled at her daughter.

But there was a distant look in her eyes for some reason…

Sakura turned around to see her father entering the hall, followed by Touya.

"Father, how do you do?" Kaho asked Fujitaka with a smile.

"Better. After seeing you, my dear."

They hugged and the King kissed her on the forehead.

"Touya!"

"Kaho!"

The two kissed tenderly after finding each other in each other's arms.

Sakura looked at them happily.

_What would it be like to have someone to love?_

"Grandpa! Daddy!" Rin rammed towards the king and prince.

"If it isn't the loveliest and most beautiful little princess in the kingdom!"

Kaho watched as the family exchanged words of love.

_If only it would always be like this… _

Her expression hardened and she cleared her throat loudly.

Everyone turned towards her.

"Sakura. There is something we need to discuss about."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Discuss? Discuss about what?" Sakura asked confused.

Everyone else was pretty clueless too.

"What's this about Kaho?" Touya asked worriedly.

Kaho took Rin form Touya's arms and set her down. Rin stared curiously at her mother.

"Why don't you go outside and play, honey?"

Rin's face brightened up.

"Thanks Mommy! I promise I'll be good!"

She skipped outside toward the garden without wasting a single moment. Kaho smiled at her daughter. She looked back to find everyone staring at her expectantly.

Kaho took a large box out of the travelling bag that was attached to her side.

Sakura eyed it curiously.

It looked like it contained a big book.

_Did Kaho get me a book? I mean, I love books. But what's all this commotion about._

The box was red and had an image of a large golden lion carved on it with designs of the sun, moon and stars surrounding it.

_It looks absolutely breath-taking! _Sakura thought. _Probably a really special book!_

Kaho pushed it towards her. But her expression didn't seem to show that she was giving her a present. Kaho looked serious- very serious. She gulped.

"Listen carefully, Sakura. You must open the lock on this box. Do not be alarmed by what's to happen afterward."

Touya cut in in front of Sakura before she could receive the box.

"Wait Kaho. What is this thing? And what do you mean by 'Do not be alarmed'? What's inside?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the box.

He loved his wife dearly. But Kaho was an extremely clever woman. She was a priestess, and she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Sometimes, it was difficult to rely on her. Especially for someone like Touya. He was extremely cautious when it came to matters concerning Sakura.

Fujitaka looked at the couple worriedly.

Kaho smirked. "My, My. Touya. Do you not trust me, my dear?" She taunted with artificial hurt in her voice.

"Not when you're gonna talk to me like that." He hated it when she did that.

Sakura put a hand in front of Touya.

"Relax, Touya. If what's inside is too dangerous for me, why would she want me open it?"

Touya glared at both of them, and backed down when he felt defeated.

"But why does Sakura have to open it? Is there any particular reason?" Fujitaka began with his hand on his chin, asking the real questions after observing the situation.

Kaho looked toward the king, still holding the box.

"It's because only she can open it. Not you, not me. Just her."

Fujitaka nodded with understanding.

Touya looked at his wife like she just said the most ridiculous thing ever.

Sakura was still confused as ever.

Kaho took a deep breath.

"After Nadeshiko died…" She didn't want to bring it up. But this was necessary.

"Sakura became the most powerful magician in this kingdom."

It sort of made sense. The royal family had magic, and Sakura inherited a large share from her mother. As it is mostly the females in the Kinomoto family, that inherit the magical powers.

"But she is still learning!" Touya added agitatedly. Her magic was stronger than his, but he always felt the need that she needed more protection than himself.

"Yes. And this is going to be part of her learning." Kaho spoke with a harder tone. She was tired of arguing. She moved towards Sakura and pushed the metallic box into her hands.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sakura, please."

_The fate of the kingdom depends on you now._

There was lost look in Sakura's eyes.

**Kinomoto Kingdom Garden**

"Ow" Little Rin moaned in pain.

She tripped and bruised her knee. And her orange dress tore a bit.

_Mommy and Daddy are not gonna be happy._

A large shadow moved over her.

Her tiny body shivered.

Touya always told her not to wander off too far from the garden.

_This is bad._

Right in front for her landed a large dragon-like creature.

It was twice as large as a horse. And it had two heads. Its body was covered with scales from head to toe. It bore its fangs out and looked down at Rin's helpless figure.

Tears streamed down Rin's face. She was too scared to move. And she was hurt, too.

_Mommy…_

The two headed serpent took a step forward. Rin's sobs were becoming more and more audible.

_Help…_

She closed her eyes and gripped the grass under her tightly.

_Somebody…anybody…_

"Hey!"

Rin looked up.

"Get away from her you beast!"

The man moved in between the serpent and Rin, with his hands stretched out each side.

Rin looked up at him but couldn't see his face.

She noticed the hair though. It was brown and messy.

"Back off if you know what's good for you!" Syaoran threatened.

The serpent growled. It stomped on the ground with loud thud and roared at Syaoran.

"Alright buddy, so wanna fight?" Syaoran took his stance and slowly drew out his sword.

Rin, still sitting on the ground, not letting go of the grass between her fingers, stopped sobbing, to stare at the two.

The serpent charged at Syaoran with a headbutt.

Syaoran grabbed its head with one hand, used its momentum to effectively flip his body and land perfectly on the creature's back.

"There ya go!" A victorious grin spread across his face.

Rin smiled bearing her teeth out, her face still wet with tears though. She found the feat quite funny.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final blow!" Syaoran exclaimed, trying to sound as comical as possible.

The serpent wriggled its scale-clad body fiercely trying to shake Syaoran off its back. Syaoran held on tightly though.

When the creature was about to bend its body to drop the irritant, Syaoran brought his legs down, still holding onto one of the serpent's necks. He used the creature's momentum against it and flipped it, causing it end up on the ground, upside down.

To this, Rin laughed out heartily. She felt like she was watching one of those street shows in the villages.

"Bravo! Bravo!" She clapped and cheered.

Syaoran got his footing and bowed at his young audience.

"Thank you! You're too kind."

He looked back at the two-headed serpent, who was still upside down, trying to make sense of what just happened. Syaoran placed his sword on the base of both of its necks. The creature's eyes widened and it stopped struggling.

It looked up at Syaoran with its dark yellow eyes, helplessly. Syaoran starred back and pushed his sword harder. His eyes showed no mercy.

The young princess gazed upon the scene, still sitting, with her mouth wide open.

After moments of starring at each other, Syaoran moved his eyes away. He moved his sword away too. The serpent slowly got back to its up-right position. Its head hung low, and this time, it looked much less intimidating. It brought its eyes up towards Syaoran. The helplessness, still lingering in them.

Syaoran looked at it indifferently.

"Get out. And don't come back." Syaoran pointed at the opposite direction, signaling the creature to get lost.

The serpent walked away slowly.

Rin couldn't help but feel sorry for the creature. When it pulled up that puppy-dog face, she found that it looked quite cute.

She got up slowly, forgetting that she had hurt her knee.

Syaoran felt a tug on his shirt. He withdrew his sword to look down at the little girl.

"Thank you, mister! You just saved my life!"

"Don't mention it kid." Syaoran didn't know this was the prince's daughter. He smiled and patted the girl on the head.

Right at that moment, his sword started to shake lightly in its scabbard.

Syaoran quickly grabbed it with his hand. It stopped.

He looked at it from the side. _What the heck was that?_

"I'm Rin. What's your name?" His thoughts were interrupted.

"Oh… umm, you can call me Syaoran. I mean… my name's Syaoran." He tried to put himself together.

Rin giggled.

"You're funny!"

**Back At The Kinomoto Castle**

A bright light illuminated the whole place.

"What the heck is going on Kaho?!" Touya screamed out.

He grabbed onto his aged father to support him. He couldn't see a damn thing.

Sakura had opened the latch on the box. She was now wondering if it was a good decision.

_Oh my god what's happening! I can't see anything!_

An unknown energy filled up whole being. She felt like she was choking.

_Oh no…_

Sakura grabbed her throat. The feeling was going up towards her head. It wasn't painful. It just felt as if something was violating her- violating her deep inside her heart.

Sakura didn't know when but she ended up on her knees. Her hands were on her head this time.

_HELP!_

Kaho stood there.

_Just a little longer. Hang in there, Sakura. You can do it! I believe in you…_

The blinding light slowly dispersed.

Touya kept Fujitaka from falling over. He looked up at Sakura. She was on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Sakura!"

He was going to look at Kaho when something caught his eye.

_What on earth is that?_

A yellow teddy bear was floating midair, with its eyes closed. The box laid open, empty, on the ground. And the teddy-bear was hovering right above it. It had tiny white angelic wings and a small tail that looked like that of a lion's cub.

Touya rubbed his eyes.

_I must be seeing things…_

**Hiragizawa Castle**

The sound of hysteric laughter echoed throughout the dark room.

"Is that Keroberos!? Oh my god! He looks like a cute teddy-bear! Master, why didn't you make Spinel Sun like that?!" Ruby Moon shrieked.

Spinel Sun growled at his humanoid counterpart.

"That's his fake form, you congenital imbecile!"

The panther-like creature looked back at the glowing orb.

Nevertheless, seeing Keroberos in his fake form was something he never would have expected. Spinel Sun found it quite… hilarious.

He grinned, showing his shiny white fangs. He didn't do that often.

"Priceless…" He muttered.

"Now, now, you two. Behave yourselves." The blue haired boy, sitting between the two otherworldly creatures, scolded, humorously.

In his hand, he shuffled a deck of cards casually.

"What will it be? Oh, what WILL it be" He asked himself excitedly, with a playful, yet dangerous-looking, smile across his handsome face.

He stopped shuffling.

Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon looked at their master expectantly.

He drew the first card.

He looked at it.

He smirked.

_My favorite._

The floor below his chair started to glow. It had the same sun, moon and stars pattern that the mysterious box had.

He flipped the card around.

It was pink with golden borders.

On it, was a black and white sketch of a woman, with giant feathers covering her shoulders.

"THE WINDY" It read.

**Kinomoto Castle**

Touya glared at the teddy-bear like creature.

And it glared back as well with its button-like black eyes.

Sakura looked to and fro between the two, absolutely bewildered, and still on her knees on the floor.

_For one moment I thought that Kaho got me a talking teddy-bear as a late birthday present. _

Sakura sighed.

Fujitaka cleared his throat, demanding attention.

"So, what you're saying is that, YOU are the Guardian Beast of the Seal?"

Everyone looked towards the floating teddy.

He nodded and puffed his small yellow chest.

"That's me. The great Keroberos. In the flesh!"

"The Guardian Beast of… Clow Reed's… Clow Cards?" Fujitaka continued. For he couldn't digest the information that was being served to him.

Everyone here knew about Clow Reed. He was a powerful magician that ruled the lands hundreds of years ago. There was a legend that he created a deck a 52 magical cards by manifesting his amazing magical powers.

"That is absolutely correct!"

Keroberos looked back at Touya.

"Look here kid, if we're gonna work together, you're gonna have to listen to everything I say! I mean everything."

Everyone's eyes widened. Touya was boiling with anger.

"I ain't gonna work with you, you freakin' teddy! How could you even think that?!"

"What did you call me, kid?" Keroberos' veins started popping on his head.

"Who are ya callin' a kid, you god forsaken teddy?!"

"Both of you! Stop it this instant!"

Both of them looked at Kaho, who stayed silent the whole time.

"Keroberos." She looked at the flying doll-like creature and cleared her throat.

"With all due respect, Keroberos, you are mistaken. The person who opened the latch was this young girl right here." Kaho pointed at Sakura, who looked she fell straight from the sky.

Keroberos pointed at her expressionlessly.

"So… you're saying that… this little girl… is the chosen one?"

Everyone nodded.

The creature fell on the ground unconscious.

**Kinomoto Castle Garden**

The wind was blowing with unusual force all of a sudden.

Syaoran held tightly on to Rin, who was almost blown away.

"What's going on?!" Rin screamed. This was the second scare she was getting in one day.

"I don't know!" Syaoran shouted back. The noise from the wind made it difficult to hear.

_I have to get her to safety._

He ran towards the castle, carrying Rin. He was going against the wind and it was almost impossible to take a step forward.

_Damn. This is not good._

**Kinomoto Castle Entrance**

_What's up with weather today? _Yukito asked himself.

He was walking towards the castle to meet Kaho.

He looked up at the sky.

Something was definitely out of place.

"I have to get inside!"

Author's Note: Please review! It really encourages me! Let me know if you like the story! Or, let me know if you don't like the story! Readers, your ratings are very important to me! So please let me know what you think! Tell me if you have any ideas- I'm open to all suggestions :D


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Kinomoto Castle**

Touya picked up the unconscious Keroberos by the leg and examined him.

"He's out cold."

"Well he has been asleep for a few hundred years." Kaho stated as a matter-of-factly.

Touya gave her he look.

"How the heck did you find this?"

Kaho was about to answer when there was a loud thud on the castle door.

It was the wind!

It kept hitting the door continuously with incredible force. The huge wooden door seemed like it could break open any moment.

"What's happening?" Fujitaka exclaimed worriedly.

Kaho seemed like she understood.

_Oh no._

"It's one of the Clow Cards!" Keroberos suddenly spoke up, regaining his consciousness.

Touya was so astonished that he dropped the Guardian Beast.

Keroberos floated back up midair. He began looking around for something. When he noticed the red metallic box in front of Sakura, he dived towards it.

"WHERE ARE THE CARDS?!" The creature became extremely agitated.

He looked around, and then pointed an accusatory finger at Sakura.

"You..." His tone dripped with disappointment.

Sakura straightened up in her position.

"This is all your fault!"

"HER FAULT?! She was the one who let your sorry ass out of that god damned cage!" Touya retorted.

"Language, Touya." Fujitaka scolded, even though he knew that this wasn't the right time.

Keroberos looked back at the empty box hopelessly.

"You foolish mortals… Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

**Hiragizawa Castle**

The blue-haired boy laughed loudly, holding on to his stomach. He wasn't getting enough of this.

He wiped a tear off from behind his glasses.

"Oh Keroberos… You haven't changed a bit!"

Spinel Sun looked up at his master with concern.

The boy bent down towards the sphere. His expression turning very serious.

"Keroberos… That's the last thing you should be worried about right now."

A large thud came out from the orb.

His eyes widened.

"Heads up…"

**Kinomoto Castle**

BOOM!

The castle doors burst open.

Everyone was blown back a good few feet.

Touya once again held onto his father.

Kaho fell down on the floor.

Keroberos was blown down to Sakura's lap. She caught him and held on to him.

"We need to get out! It wants us to get out!" Keroberos regained his composure.

"What is 'IT'?" The suspense was killing Sakura.

Keroberos' expression darkened.

"It's the Windy…" he muttered.

"The what?!"

Keroberos got up and took her arm.

"Listen, we need to get up and fight that thing! (I hate to say this) But you're our only hope against it!" Keroberos told her with a solemn expression.

Sakura had a hopeless look in her beautiful emerald eyes.

Keroberos pulled her up. The wind was blowing mercilessly.

_I need to work with whatever I have here. Clow Reed, I have no idea what you were thinking when you decided upon this…_

"C'mon!"

Sakura slowly walked forward with the creature. He had more strength than he appeared to have.

_I have no idea what's going on… This is really scary!_

**On the Way To The Castle**

Syaoran looked up at the castle. Which was just a few feet away. Rin was on his shoulder unconscious.

_Hold on, kid. Just a little more._

He noticed a grey haired man with spectacles stare stand right in front of the castle door.

_Why isn't he going inside? Oh wait! He's one of the Royal Knights! I remember… I'll just give Rin to him. Then he'll know what to do…_

Syaoran stopped right on his tracks when he saw Princess Kinomoto come out through the castle entrance. She was struggling to maintain her footing and forced her through the strong wind.

_Why would she want to come out of the castle when the weather's like this? And… is that a stuffed animal she's holding up? No… it looks more like… the stuffed animals pulling her out… But that doesn't even make sense…_

The Syaoran eased up when the wind around him stopped rushing. He looked around, relieved.

**Castle Entrance**

As soon as she came outside, the wind stopped. She looked at Keroberos, who was looking around carefully. He slowly turned towards Sakura, and made a pink key chain appear right in front of her face.

"Grab it." He instructed.

Sakura cupped both of her hands up, her eyes widened. The object dropped. An electric surge went through her whole body. She shivered.

"That felt really weird!"

"For real?" _This just might work._ He hoped.

Sakura nodded.

"Okay, now hold it up… with both your hands. And listen carefully… you have to repeat exactly what I say."

Sakura nodded again.

"Key of Clow, power of magic…" Keroberos began chanting.

"Key of Clow… power of…" Sakura repeated weakly and unsurely.

"You'll have to be faster! PLEASE! You need to understand that our safety is in your hands."

Sakura gulped and nodded.

"Sorry… I'll try again…"

Keroberos looked back up towards the sky. The wind had stopped. But he could feel an evil magic manifesting… He shuddered.

He looked back at Sakura. He knew that she was feeling it too. Her whole was shaking violently and she was struggling to keep standing.

He started to feel sorry for her.

_It's not her fault. She's a victim in this situation as much as I am._

Keroberos sighed.

_Maybe I can go a bit easier on her._

"You ready?"

"Yes!" There was determination in Sakura's voice this time. She wanted to prove herself to the Guardian Beast more than anything now.

_Here goes._

"Key of Clow, power of magic…" Keroberos chanted slowlier this time. Sakura listened carefully. "Power of light… surrender the wand…the force ignite."

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Touya, Fujitaka and Kaho appeared behind Sakura.

Touya looked as though he was hit by a band wagon.

Yukito came running forward as well since he was close by.

He gave everyone a questioning look.

Touya gave him a 'long story-explain later' look.

**Syaoran and Rin**

Syaoran spotted the King, being supported by the prince, come out of the entrance as well.

He rushed to the scene. He had a really bad feeling in his gut. Something bad was going to happen. And a question rose to his mind.

_Where are the guards and other people? This is absurd…_

Rin was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.

**Sakura and Keroberos**

"Key of Clow, power of magic, power of light. Surrender the wand. The force ignite!"

The pink key ring in her cupped palms started to spin in the air.

"Release!"

"RELEASE!"

To Sakura's, and everyone else's, surprise the key ring enlarged itself to become a pink staff with a golden star on its tip.

_Whoa_

The blinding light was there again. Yukito covered his eyes with his arm, and so did everyone else.

A pair of angel wings appeared on Sakura's back and she was now levitating midair with a pink staff in her hand.

Syaoran stopped on his tracks. He looked up at her with awe. Her body was glowing and it felt like he was looking at the sun. His mouth literally dropped open.

Touya spotted the new comer. Rin was unconscious on his shoulder… and he also noticed the fact that that her dress was torn and her knee was scrapped.

Touya examined the boy carefully.

_He's a peasant..._

He boiled up with anger.

Keroberos gaped at Sakura.

"It's the Fly card! But I thought all the cards were gone!"

**Hiragizawa Castle**

"Why did you have to have do that?" Ruby Moon booed.

The blue-haired boy shrugged his shoulders.

Spinel Sun looked up at his master from beside his chair, with a concerned look.

_Master… What exactly are you planning?_

**Kinomoto Castle**

The wind started blowing again. This time in the shape of a tornado. But it slowly shrank down to the form of a woman. It stood there face to face with Sakura. Sakura gripped her wand tighter.

"You must hit Windy with the wand. That'll seal her back into her card."

Sakura took her stance, ready to charge at her foe.

"Alright."

"Sakura please be careful!" Fujitaka warned, concerned.

Sakura dashed towards Windy. The Fly made her very agile. But as soon as she made contact, the creature dissolved into the air around it.

"Huh?!"

It shaped itself again behind Sakura.

It hit Sakura with a blast of wind that came out from its hand.

Sakura wasn't able turn around fast enough to see the attack coming. Her eyes widened.

"Ahhh!" The blast hit her square on the wings

She landed on Yukito with a loud thud. Luckily he caught her and broke her fall.

"Oh no…" Keroberos rushed to her aid.

"Sakura!" Touya did the same.

Syaoran snarled at the scene.

_Dammit…_

He set Rin down on the ground. He looked up at the mystical creature in the air.

Windy took this chance and turned to the remaining audience, Kaho and Fujitaka. It brought its arm backwards, as though it was preparing to throw a punch.

Syaoran's eyes widened. He looked at Fujitaka and Kaho, who were as good as sitting ducks. He put his hand on his sword and focused on Windy.

_Quick Syaoran… Think! _

Windy let out her second powerful gale blast.

His senses snapped and Syaoran charged forward.

Touya turned around a bit too late because he was tending to his sister.

"FATHER!"

Fujitaka's eyes widened, a blast of visible wind heading straight toward his face. But all of a sudden he felt a large force on his shoulder. A boy, that he didn't even notice was there, had pushed him down.

"Argh!" The blast of wind hit Syaoran's left shoulder.

Kaho gasped.

But Syaoran didn't waste any time. He got up as fast as he could, all eyes on him now… He drew out his sword with his good right hand threw it like a spear at the otherworldly creature.

The Windy didn't see it coming. Syaoran's sword pierced through its vapor-like body and it passed through.

_That's not gonna work on Windy!_ Keroberos thought…

Or SO he thought…

Electric currents rushed through Windy's body. It screamed in agony.

Keroberos was star struck. So was Kaho.

_But…how?_

**Hiragizawa Castle**

He grabbed the armrests of his chair tightly.

"What!?"

Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon jerked up. He never lost his composure before. At least not in front of them.

Syaoran's face appeared on his sphere. The blue-haired boy examined the former's amber orbs, his fists tightened into balls.

He got from his chair and bent down, his face almost touching the orb's smooth surface.

"You…you look familiar… very familiar..."

Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon tried to get a closer look at the subject. They didn't understand what he was talking about though. They looked back at their master, worriedly.

He slammed his fist on the table. They shuddered.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

The blue-haired boy turned around and walked toward the two, a deadly expression on his face. He snapped his fingers and the crystal sphere table and chair disappeared.

"Get ready…"

**Kinomoto Castle**

_How about that?_

Syaoran suddenly remembered his injured shoulder. It stung really badly all of a sudden. And the pain was unbearable. He grabbed his shoulder and fell on his knees. His eyes scrunched up in pain.

He screamed out in agony.

Sakura looked at him.

_That hair… I know him. I saw him at the Colosseum. He fought Yamazaki._

She examined those amber eyes curiously. She found them quite… intriguing.

He was still cringing and she looked at him with concern.

_You saved my father… thank you…_

Kaho rushed towards Syaoran. She took a napkin out.

"Please…that wouldn't be necessary. Thank you…"

He got up slowly. His hand still on his left shoulder, he looked up at Windy. Unfortunately, it had recovered faster than him. He glared at the creature. Looking around for his blade, he found that it was a good few feet away, towards the end where Sakura lay with Touya, Yukito and Keroberos. He slowly backed up, towards the castle entrance, eyeing his opponent carefully.

The Windy as about to move toward him when…

"Hey!" It turned around to see Sakura. Her wings were back up and she held up her staff. She had a steely look on her face.

_It's time to get serious._

Touya and Yukito stood behind her, looking up towards Windy.

Keroberos watched closely.

_That's it girl. Go for it. You can do it!_

Sakura whipped up her wings and dashed for the Windy for the second time. The Windy turned completely and vaporized as soon as Sakura was an inch away.

Sakura turned around quickly this time.

"I'm not gonna fall for the same trick twice!"

The Windy materialized itself and the two were facing off once again.

Sakura eyed Windy carefully- it seemed very emotionless. She found it quite disturbing.

She took a small glance at Keroberos from behind Windy.

He gave her a questioning look- Sakura was trying tell him something...

Sakura winced when Windy jabbed at her. She dodged it, but it was a close call… She attempted to hit it a second time with her wand, but it vanished to thin air once again.

Sakura looked up. It materialized above her this time… Windy made a dive towards her. But Sakura managed to shield herself with the wand just in time. The impact caused both of them to fly in the other direction. Sakura took this chance to look back at Keroberos. She signaled at the sword that was on the ground.

Keroberos gave an affirmative nod.

_Good idea… it's our best bet!_

Touya and Yukito watched as the winged-teddy bear lunged towards the sword. He picked it up by the thread that was attached to the hilt and then looked at Syaoran.

Syaoran was too busy watching the battle to notice the exchange.

He felt sorry because he wasn't of any help…yet.

"Head's up kid!"

Syaoran looked down at Keroberos.

_Did the stuffed animal just call out to me?_

Nevertheless, he managed to catch his sword.

_Good!_

"Thank you!" Syaoran smirked.

He held it up with his right-hand, like a spear, once again. He closed his left eye and looked at the sky, trying to secure the shot.

Sakura smiled at Syaoran. She was relieved. Luckily, she looked back at Windy just fast enough to dodge another blast of wind… The wings from the Fly made her fast, but it was draining her off her life force. She could feel it. It won't be possible to continue this for much longer.

_I need to finish this fast!_

"MOVE!"

She moved just in time to dodge the sword Syaoran threw at Windy. Windy tried to catch the sword but it went through her arm.

Keroberos was impressed.

_How's this happening? That's so not supposed to happen… I shouldn't complain though_…

The electric current flowed across its arm and travelled throughout its body. The creature shrieked.

_Now's my chance!_

Sakura hit Windy successfully with her wand, as it couldn't dematerialize this time.

The creature turned into a bright light which looked as though it was being sucked into the star on the tip of the wand.

Everyone looked up at the scene with awe.

The light took the form of a card in front the tip of the wand.

"Hurry up! Repeat after me!"

Sakura looked down at Keroberos. She was almost out of breath.

"Windy, I command you to return to your power confine!"

Sakura gulped.

"I command you to return to your power confine… Windy card!"

The light dispersed from the card and it turned into the golden-bordered pink card that said 'THE WINDY'.

Sakura caught the card before drifting down. She was slowly losing her consciousness.

Yukito rushed out before Touya to catch Sakura.

"Here, I got this!"

The wings from her back turned into light and then dispersed immediately. So now there were two cards in her hand- along with 'THE FLY'. This one had the picture of wings on it.

Keroberos floated to her to see if she was alright.

"You did well." He smirked.

Touya looked at his sister from afar and then at the person of interest.

Syaoran fell on his knees again. His shoulder still hurt. He was surprised when felt someone pull him up by the collar of his shirt.

He looked up…

It was the prince.

"What did you do with my daughter?" Touya's voice was low and deadly.

Syaoran eye's widened and he was absolutely speechless. The astonishment had overcome him.

"Tell me, you son of a…"

"Touya! Let him down! He saved her life!" Kaho defended. Her hands on Touya's.

"What are you saying, woman?!"

"I'm telling the truth!"

Touya looked Syaoran in the eye. Syaoran didn't know what to feel. He was extremely overwhelmed and he chose to remain silent.

"Leave him alone, Touya..."

He looked back to see Sakura walking up to him, supported by Yukito.

"Why would you trust…?"

She cut him off. "Because he just saved our father's life! If only you wouldn't have been so hot-headed, you would've noticed!"

Touya grinded his teeth and let go.

Syaoran fell on his knees again with a thud. He was breathing heavily. Kaho bent down and rubbed his back.

Touya walked towards Rin and picked her up.

_She's sleeping peacefully…_

He turned around to take one last look at the peasant before going inside the castle.

He could've sworn he saw Syaoran glare at him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Everyone gathered inside the castle. Except for Touya and Kaho. They went upstairs to put Rin in her room. Fujitaka left to rest as well.

The room that everyone gathered in was one of the many rooms where the important people had meetings.

"I can't believe I missed it!" Tomoyo cried out.

Sakura laughed nervously. She put her hands up, signaling her best friend to calm down.

"Don't worry Tomoyo… It wasn't THAT exciting. And I promise that I'm perfectly fine. I'm just a bit tired. That's all."

Tomoyo sighed in relief. But she was still unconvinced.

"But I missed one of the most amazing moments in your life…" She brought out a big book that was lying beside her chair the whole time.

"I wanted to sketch the whole incident in this book, which is filled with all the other sketches I made of you before!"

Everyone sweat-dropped.

Tomoyo was a gifted artist. But she only used her amazing talent to sketch important events in Sakura's life. Believe it or not, the big fat sketch book she held up was already more than half full.

Syaoran was there too… He remained standing because he refused to sit down in any of the chairs, no matter how much Yukito and Sakura urged him. He looked around the room. He's never seen anything like it. It's probably the biggest room he's been in. That's probably because he's never been inside a castle before. The room was covered in expensive marble, starting from the floor to the walls and to the ceiling. His mouth was wide open most of the time.

Sakura got up and walked towards him.

Syaoran stiffened. A few moments ago, Yukito wrapped his shoulder with bandages. So, he was curing. Keroberos said that they needed to talk with him. And that the incident that had occurred a while ago cannot be shared with anyone.

Sakura smiled friendlily at him. But Syaoran was finding it hard to look at her directly in the eyes. He knew that he would be stuck staring awkwardly at those emerald poles if he did. That would be very wrong…she's the princess, after all. And, he could get into a lot of trouble for it.

Sakura put her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Sakura! Thank you for helping us out today! Without you, we would have been in a lot of trouble!"

Syaoran twitched. He didn't know what to do. Should he shake her hand or not? If he did, he'd start blushing, for sure. But if he didn't, that would be rude. And being rude was the last thing he wanted to do.

He slowly lifted his hand towards hers. His eyes down at her at her feet, not daring to look up.

_C'mon Syaoran! It's just a shake. Not that hard!_

Sakura waited patiently, the friendly smile still stretched on her beautiful face. She was probably the only on in the room who didn't notice the boy's predicament.

He finally managed to shake her hand. Her hand felt incredibly soft in his, and just like he feared, he immediately started blushing. When he heard Tomoyo giggling softly, he immediately let of the princess' hand. He balled his fists unconsciously- his face redder than ever.

What surprised him even more was when Sakura bent down to look at him straight in the eyes.

"So… aren't you gonna tell me your's?"

Syaoran gasped and jerked backwards. Sakura looked at him with a confused expression.

_Was it something I said?_ She asked herself worriedly.

_Get your stuff together, Syaoran!_ He scolded himself, breathing heavily.

The new found distance made Syaoran more comfortable. He eased up.

"My name is Syaoran… Just Syaoran!" He tried not to stutter and sound awkward. But he failed miserably.

The worried look left her face. She smiled good-heartedly again. Syaoran gulped when he looked at her face.

"Hello there, Syaoran! I haven't seen you here before, so you must be new! Welcome to the Kinomoto Kingdom!" She spread her hands out. "And once again, thank you!"

"It was my duty!" Syaoran bowed down.

Sakura blinked her eyes twice, clueless as ever.

Tomoyo giggled once again. She was reading his mind the whole time.

_Poor Sakura… if only she wasn't so dense._

She thought that Sakura would look really adorable with this boy. She found Syaoran to be a really nice person.

Yukito cleared his throat, everyone's attention.

"Would someone tell me why all the castle guards and the Royal Knights were asleep while we were fighting the Clow card?" The real question was asked.

Keroberos floated upwards. His face scrunched up, as he tried to decipher the situation.

"It's because of the evil magic that summoned the card in the first place… It put to sleep everyone who didn't have magic."

He then pointed at Yukito.

"But you! You're not part of the Royal family are you?"

Yukito shook his head, bewildered. Keroberos flew towards him and examined him. Yukito blinked, confused.

_He doesn't seem to have magic… But he gives me this weird feeling… I can't explain it…_

Syaoran's eyes widened with realization.

_So that's why Rin, I mean, the young princess, fell asleep! It wasn't because of the wind…_

He looked down at his palms, examining them curiously.

_So does this mean… I have magic? _

Keroberos then flew towards Syaoran and examined him. His face merely centimeters away from the boy's. Syaoran eyed him quizzically.

Keroberos jerked back and shook his head violently.

"No! You definitely don't have any magic!"

Sakura's shoulders limped. She felt really down all of a sudden for some reason.

"Huh?" Syaoran exclaimed when the Guardian Beast started doing circles around his head.

"How did you do it?" He asked Syaoran, still revolving around him, he was a hundred percent sure the boy had magic when threw that sword… The sword!

Keroberos dived towards the sword that hung in Syaoran's side. He examined the hilt- the red threads and the yellow diamonds. He remembered that the blade was long, thin and exceptionally shiny.

"This sword… it looks very familiar… like one I saw a long time ago." Keroberos shook his violently. "But that can't be right…" He said to himself worriedly.

"Your suspicions are correct, Keroberos." Kaho entered the room.

Everyone turned to her.

"Sakura is the cardcaptor. And Syaoran is her partner- the person who's destined to assist the cardcaptor and protect her from all harm. Today's incident proved it"

"But he doesn't have any magic!" Keroberos argued. "Clow Reed said that he would have magic!"

Kaho smirked. "You don't magic when you can operate a magic sword."

Keroberos felt defeated. He couldn't argue with that. He looked back at Syaoran's blade.

_That isn't just an ordinary magic sword. Something's different about it. There's definitely more to it than that meets the eye…_

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other.

_Partners?..._

"Wait, wait, wait!" Everyone looked at Tomoyo. "So you're saying that it's not over!"

Keroberos nodded casually.

"Yeah, there's still fifty more cards left to find. Why do you ask?"

Sakura was hit with realization.

_No, no, no._

"Because I'm gonna come with Sakura and Syaoran!"

"Tomoyo are you crazy!? It's too dangerous!" Sakura's expression turned serious.

"Sakura! This is probably gonna be the most important, the most amazing part of your life!... You always wanted to go on an adventure…" Tomoyo's expression saddened. "And I don't want to miss it…" She added the last part in a whisper.

Sakura slapped her forehead and sighed. There was absolutely no arguing with Tomoyo.

"Fine… You can come."

"Oh my gosh, Sakura! I love you!" Tomoyo hugged Sakura back tightly. Sakura felt defeated and hugged her back.

Syaoran looked at the exchange. No one seemed to care about what he thought.

"Alright guys!" Keroberos looked at Syaoran and Sakura. "We need to train!"

Syaoran looked cluelessly at the Guardian Beast. Sakura, although, had a determined look.

"Sure thing, Kero!"

Keroberos was about to turn around to leave when his ears perked up.

"What… What did you just call me?" Keroberos gave her an annoyed look.

"Kero! You know! It's short for 'Keroberos'!" She spat 'Keroberos' out like she hated the name.

Sakura thought that the name suited him for his adorable teddy bear-like appearance. She knew that he was bossy, and always tried to act tough… but she also knew that, deep down, he was a softy. And, he really cared for her. The thought made Sakura smile.

Kero sighed. No one could stand the charms of Sakura's beautiful smiles. "Fine. Call me whatever you want… I just wanna get this over with, that's all" He started to float away.

Sakura giggled. She looked at Syaoran, who just stood there, all quiet and observant. She grabbed his hand. Syaoran stiffened again, his eyes widened.

"C'mon!" she pulled him as she ran after Kero. She laughed when he almost tripped.

"Boy, you need to lighten up!" Sakura teased.

"I get that a lot…" Syaoran said with a bent and nervous smile.

Kaho and Yukito were the only ones who were left in the room. Yukito was still bewildered, even though, the story was explained to him. Kaho looked at her husband's best friend.

"I know you're in there…" Kaho told him. She was looking at him, but it seemed as though she was looking through him.

"What?..." Yukito asked, he had no idea what she was talking about.

Kaho smirked. "It's about time you come out… you know?"

She walked out of the room. Yukito blinked at her exiting figure.

_Maybe all the pressure from today has gotten into her..._

His stomach growled.

_Boy am I hungry… _

**Kinomoto Castle Garden**

"Your posture- you need to perfect it!" Kero showed her his different battle stances.

Sakura sweat-dropped. _You can't be serious…_

"Yeah, but what does this have to do with anything?..."

"Everything Sakura! You need to remember that you're a hero!" Kero was inches away from her face with a very deadly expression. "And this the only way you can do it…"

Sakura gulped and she nodded nervously. She gripped her staff tightly.

Kero moved forward and stood on the ground with his small yellow teddy-bear legs. He was holding an imaginary staff on his hand. He buffed his chest up and looked behind if Sakura was following his steps. She was. Reluctantly, but she was. He held his imaginary wand in the air.

"Release!"

"RELEASE!"

Syaoran watched from the distance as the two trained. He was polishing the blade of his sword. He held up to the sun and watched the long silver blade shine. He smiled proudly.

_Beauty…_

He turned around when he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. He looked at it carefully. Definitely wasn't a person. It was making a lot of noise and he could tell it was big. Syaoran moved towards the bush stealthily with his sword, ready to attack whenever it showed itself.

When he was just a few inches away from the bush, two heads popped out from it.

Syaoran yelled and jerked backwards,

"You!" he pointed an accusatory finger at the creature, angrily. It was the same dragon-like four-legged two headed creature that had attacked Rin.

Before Syaoran could react, one of the heads of the beast licked Syaoran's face with its tongue. His face was all wet. Syaoran wiped his face with his sleeve.

_Ugh… Disgusting… _

He let his guard down and before he knew it, the dragon had already wrestled him to the ground. It was licking his face ferociously, this time with both its tongues.

"Ugh! Cut it out! Get off!" Syaoran tried pushing the heads away with his hands. It started to tickle and he couldn't control his laughter.

He looked for his sword with no avail. It must've fallen from his hand when he reached to wipe his face.

"Stop it already! That tickles!" Syaoran continued to laugh, all the while trying to shove the creature off him.

It finally stopped. Syaoran sat up and tried to regain his composure. He was breathing heavily. He looked up at the creature, which was now staring at his face intently.

_Oh no… Don't tell me…_

He stood up, dusted his shirt and glared at the dragon. Then he turned around to walk away, all the while looking back at it. He stopped when he noticed that it was following him.

Syaoran slapped his forehead, frustratedly, and moved his palm downwards along his face.

Just great… this is just what I wanted…

He head jerked up when he heard footsteps.

"Syaoran! Are you there?" It was a feminine voice.

"Quick! Hide!" He dashed towards the dragon and tried to push it back towards the bushes.

"Syaoran… Were you yelling?" Sakura asked worriedly when she found him.

She gasped when she saw that he was sitting on a large, scale-clad, lump that was sticking out from the bushes.

Syaoran scratched his messy brown hair unmindfully and blew the wet bangs that were over his eyes.

"I can explain…" He grinned sheepishly.

**Daidouji Kingdom**

Tomoyo was helped down from her carriage.

The Daidouji Kingdom wasn't very far from the Kinomoto Kingdom. They were neighboring kingdoms actually. Although, this kingdom wasn't as big as the former.

"Princess Tomoyo, you have a visitor." One of the castle guards spoke up.

"Oh really? Who is it?" She asked curiously. "I wasn't expecting anyone this evening…"

"Your highness, he… uhm… told us not to tell you. He wants it to be a surprise… He is waiting for you inside the castle."

Tomoyo blinked her eyes, confused.

Once she was inside her castle, she noticed that there was a young man sitting in one of the couches. His back was turned to her and she couldn't see his face.

_Don't tell me it's another suitor_… she sighed, frustrated.

She stopped when she was a few feet away from him. The man had blue hair. She cleared her throat. He got up from his seat and turned around.

Tomoyo's eyes widened. He was a tall young man, probably her age. He had piercing blue eyes behind his spectacles and he looked very handsome.

The man walked up towards her, took her hand and kissed it.

Tomoyo blushed.

The man looked up at her eyes and smiled good-heartedly. Tomoyo found the smile absolutely breath-taking.

"Greetings Princess Tomoyo… I am Prince Hiragizawa… Eriol Hiragizawa."

**RATE & REVIEW**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Oh my god, it's so cute!" Sakura shrieked. She patted the dragon on one of its heads.

"But, it's a two headed demon dragon…" Syaoran scratched his head, with a very confused expression. He didn't understand Sakura's idea of 'cute'.

Sakura pouted at Syaoran, acting like she didn't expect such a comment from him. Syaoran immediately regretted it, a sad expression spreading through his face.

"Syaoran… Don't judge a book by its cover!" She scolded him jokingly.

"We can ride this thing to battle!" Kero exclaimed as he sat one of the dragon's head.

The dragon shook him off his head.

"Hey!" Kero felt disappointed. "Come back!"

It moved towards Syaoran, trying to lick him again.

Syaoran freaked and moved away, a terrified expression on his face.

"Get away from me!"

Sakura laughed. "He really likes you."

She smiled at him. There was something about Syaoran that really intrigued her to get know him better. She thought about it for a second. It was probably because he didn't have a last name. Things like that made her really curious. Or maybe it was because of his awkward, yet sweet personality. She couldn't put her finger on it. Sakura shrugged her shoulders, deciding not to stress on the idea.

Syaoran drew his sword out in defense. The dragon stopped and looked at Syaoran with a hurt look.

"Keep away from me I say!" Syaoran ground his teeth to sound intimidating. But he failed miserably. Syaoran sighed. He liked it a lot better when the dragon was attacking him.

"Oh c'mon Syaoran! It just wants to spend time with you! It means no harm…" Sakura cast her puppy-dog eyes on him.

Syaoran regretted looking at her face. It made him freeze in his place, blushing crazily. The dragon took this chance to lick Syaoran's face again.

_Ugh_… Syaoran's body shivered with disgust and he walked away, the dragon still trailing him.

Sakura and Kero followed the two.

"We need to think of a name for you!" Sakura stroke the dragon lightly on its side. She smiled when it growled pleasurably.

It went like _Arrgghh oouuhh_

Sakura put a finger on her chin and thought about it for a second.

"That's it! We'll call you Ah-Un!"

Sakura ran towards Syaoran, who was walking in front.

"Do you like the name?" She asked him with a smile.

**Kinomoto Castle**

Touya watched the group walk around in the garden from the window in his room. He gripped the edges tightly, anger flowing through his veins. There were footsteps behind him. He turned around. His room was huge. Even bigger than Sakura's. There was huge bed in it, which was probably thrice the size of a king sized one. Rin lay on it asleep. There was a bandage wrapped around her knee. She was resting peacefully though.

"You are mad. Why?" Kaho walked towards her husband.

"Do I really have to explain?" Touya looked down at the ground, his face darkened.

"Is it the boy? Is it because he's a peasant? Because you wouldn't like an insignificant peasant boy hanging around your precious baby sister?" Her tone was very judgmental.

Touya looked up at her, even more agitated than before. "No one's good enough for Sakura… not the peasant boy… or any random powerful king from a large kingdom… you know that."

Kaho raised an eyebrow, not impressed with Touya's retort.

"Or… is it because he saved your daughter's… your father's… and your sister's life?" She challenged.

Touya balled his fists and glared at his wife. She glared back. She turned around, walked towards Rin, kissed her on her forehead and left the room.

Touya watched her leave. His hand still on the edge of the window. He turned around to look at the sunset, all the while thinking about Syaoran. That boy, probably years younger, made him, a king, feel weak and insufficient. It wasn't just that. It was so much more. Touya grinned his teeth.

_Miserable peasant… I hate you…_

One day, that boy, he knew, would cause him a world of pain…

**Daidouji Castle**

"And this…" Tomoyo showed a canvas to her soon-to-be husband. "This is the painting of the Daidouji River."

Eriol examined it with awe. He had never seen anything like it. Initially, he planned on only pretending to praise Tomoyo, but her artistic talents had genuinely impressed him.

Even he, the cunning master-mind, was left speechless by the beauty and aestheticism of her works of art.

Tomoyo smiled. She was glad he liked it. She found Eriol to be a seemingly wonderful person. Most of her suitors were very full of themselves. Eriol was a humble man, and most important of all, he looked a lot better than all of them.

Eriol expression darkened for a moment. He can't forget the main initiative for coming here. The smile returned to his face.

"Tell me more about your wonderful hobbies, Tomoyo. I would love to learn more about you!" He told her with a love-filled tone.

In his lap, he was stroking his pet cat. It was dark purple, and it had dull-blue eyes. The thing that was weird about the cat was that its tail looked like a pigs one- it was curved like a spring. Tomoyo decided not to ask about it for Eriol seemed to be extremely fond of it. The cat looked at the paintings with a monotone expression. It yawned lazily, not moving at all from its master's lap.

A servant came into the room with a tray filled with cakes.

"Here you go, your highness." The servant took a bow. "And a piece of strawberry cake for the adorable little kitten." The servant smiled at the cat.

The cat's eyes widened after seeing the cake. It seemed as though it understood what the servant had just said. It jerked up, jumped off of Eriol's lap and ran out of the room.

"Oh my… does it not like strawberry cakes…?" the servant asked worriedly.

Eriol laughed good-heartedly. He put a hand up signaling the servant not to worry.

"It's alright. I think he's just not hungry."

The servant nodded unsurely and left the room.

Eriol turned back to Tomoyo, with a smile.

"So… where were we?"

Tomoyo nodded happily. In her hands was the sketch-book that she carried to the Kinomoto Castle. She sat beside Eriol and opened it up. Eriol eyed the book curiously.

"This is the book where I sketch pictures of my best friend, Princess Sakura Kinomoto…"

Eriol eyes widened after seeing the sketches. This could be of some help to him.

There was a dreamy look in Tomoyo's eyes as she described each of the sketches.

"Sakura… she's the most beautiful girl in the world." Tomoyo sighed.

Eriol's ears perked up. Something snapped inside of him when he heard that last comment.

"No she isn't!" He exclaimed. Tomoyo looked at him, surprised and confused. This was the first time he disagreed with her, let alone yelled at her.

"I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world…" Eriol spat up before he even had time to think. His own behavior surprised him. He had lost his composure. That doesn't happen often…

He held up Tomoyo's hands.

"And you shouldn't think any different…" He told her with a solemn expression.

Tomoyo blushed. She didn't what to say. She nodded and slowly got up to put the book back into the shelf.

Eriol used this time to recollect himself.

_What just happened?!... That never happens…_ He stared angrily at his palms. _It never happened before and it will never happen again…_ He assured himself.

Tomoyo returned, feeling a bit awkward. Nevertheless, she shook off the feeling. It was weird… She felt confused… and at the same time, unexplainably happy.

"Would you like some tea?"

Eriol smiled charmingly. "I would love."

**Kinomoto Castle Garden **

Sakura's eyes scrunched up. She levitated in the air with the help of the angel wings she got from The Fly. She put her arms out forward and pressurized her muscles.

"Focus, Sakura…" Kero floated in circles around her, examining her carefully.

Sakura focused her mind, trying to force the raw magic outwards.

Kero nodded, affirmatively.

_This I good… I can feel her aura manifesting… She's becoming more and more powerful… _

Sakura relaxed. She looked up at Kero and smiled, still floating in the air. She had changed her gown and was now was wearing a shorter pink dress. Nevertheless, she still looked as elegant as ever. She let her hair out and it flew magnificently in the air.

Sakura flapped her wings.

"How was it?" She could tell she was getting better at this. She was definitely tired, but not as tired as before. One could claim that she was getting the hang of it.

"Good…" Kero fold his arms. He stopped around in circles.

"But there is still room for more improvement! You still have a long way to go to come even close to Clow Reed's caliber!"

Sakura's shoulders dropped, a sad expression spreading through her face. Kero realized that he probably shouldn't have said that, the feeling of regret rushing through him. He followed Sakura, as she levitated downwards toward the ground.

Sakura sighed. "Do you think I'll ever be good as Clow Reed? I am trying my best… but I'm still not up to the challenge."

"Don't worry! You're gonna be fine. If you keep improving at this rate, we'll catch the cards in no time!" Kero consoled her with his confident smile.

Sakura looked unsurely at him. She smiled her gorgeous smile afterward.

"Thank you so much Kero… This is going so fast and it's all happening so suddenly… I wouldn't have been able to handle this without you!"

_And without him… _She smiled as she thought of a certain chestnut-haired, amber-eyed boy.

Sakura put a finger on her chin, a curious expression on her face.

_I wonder where he is right now._

**Kinomoto Castle Staff Quarters**

"And now, a toast to Syaoran, the hero who saved the king!" Yamazaki cheered, with a beer in hand. One would think that he was drunk, but this was just his usual behavior.

Syaoran sweat-dropped. He put hands out, signaling his friend to calm down.

He looked around the place. This place wasn't as grand and decorated as the castle. It was a small room and it was dimly lit, causing it look very shabby. But the place was very lively. There were only maids and guards inside and today they were having a party. Fortunately, the people here only knew about him saving the King. They didn't find out anything about the Clow Cards. Kaho and Kero had explained to him before about why it must be kept a secret.

He turned around to the company when heard a large thud. Yamazaki hand huge bump on his head, but he was still smiling sillily.

"Don't mind him, Syaoran." Said Chiharu, an annoyed expression all over her face. She the maid who was sitting beside Yamazaki. She was still wearing her maid's uniform. Apparently, those two were engaged.

"Tell us what happened Syaoran! We really want to hear the whole story!" Chiharu smiled at her new friend. Initially, she angry on him because he had injured her fiancé. But now, she was in good terms with him, learning that he was actually such a nice person.

"Yeah Syaoran, tell us what happened!" Yamazaki cooed. He always kept smiling. Syaoran didn't how he did it. He remembered that Yamazaki was smiling even when he was knocked unconscious in their battle. His smile was so wide, that it caused his eyes to close up.

Before Syaoran even got a chance to say single word, Yamazaki interrupted.

"Did you know? There was once a castle guard who saved the king..." He started, all the while pointing his index finger upwards. "The king was so happy that he married away his own daughter to the guard, thereby making him the king of the kingdom! Then the-" Chiharu had already slammed his head off before he could continue. She looked angry- deadly angry, in fact.

Syaoran laughed nervously seeing the couple in front of him.

_Wow. People here sure are weird._

Every day he spent in this kingdom gave him a different experience. But he enjoyed it nonetheless, so he didn't complain. It was way better than moving from country to county, all alone and with no one to talk to.

"So Syaoran… Where did you say you were from, again?" Chiharu asked him curiously.

Syaoran cleared his throat.

"I'm from the far east… From the Hiragizawa kingdom." He answered.

Chiharu put a finger on her chin, a thoughtful expression spreading through her face.

"The Hiragizawa Kingdom… I heard the name of that kingdom somewhere… But I can't put my finger on where, though…"

**Daidouji Castle**

The moonlight shone on Eriol's body. He sighed, looking up at the moon. He was having tea with his fiancé in the castle terrace.

Tomoyo had gone somewhere for something. He wasn't exactly listening when she asked permission for leave.

He smirked. He had felt Sakura's aura a while ago. It was way more powerful than he had expected. The thought that it would get even more powerful excited the young man.

_I can't wait to meet you, Princess Sakura…_ A devilish smile spreading across his face.

_I can't wait…_

He took the deck of Clow cards out from the pocket inside his black robe. He drew the first card.

He looked at it casually.

_The Shadow, huh? This'll be fun…_

The deck of cards in his hand disappeared. 'THE SHADOW' still remained on his right hand though. He reached towards his neck and took off his necklace with his other hand. On it was a key ring, it was the same size as the one Sakura received from Kero. But this one was gold in color. And it was shaped like a sun.

Eriol expression darkened. He held the key ring up in the air.

"I call upon the power of the day and the night. Sun and Darkness unleash your might. Release!"

The key ring expanded in his hand to become a large golden staff. It was way bigger than Sakura's Star wand. On the tip of the staff was a giant sun-like figure. Eriol waved the big staff in the air. A pattern appeared on the floor beneath him. It shined brightly and illuminated the terrace. The pattern was designed with a large sun on one side and a small crescent moon on other.

Eriol smirked. "Show me what you got… cardcaptor…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Kinomoto Castle**

A dark force spread throughout the kingdom. The evil magic was manifesting itself, ready to strike. Kero shivered- he could literally see the darkness enshroud the land. The presence was unmistakable. This was Clow Reed's doing. Kero felt very confused.

_But Clow Reed is supposed to be dead… I saw him die before my very own eyes…_ Kero thought.

_And this aura… it has a very negative feeling to it… Then again, Clow Reed always had a twisted way of doing things…_

Sakura looked across the sky. She couldn't believe it. This was even more powerful than the last one, Windy. Sakura gulped. The dark aura that emitted from the card caused her to feel cold- very cold.

Kero thought about it for a second. His head perked up and he looked towards his mistress.

"It's The Shadow, Sakura…" He told her with a grim expression. "You'll need to be careful with this one…"

Sakura nodded unsurely. The two watched as the darkness moved towards the castle. Sakura panicked.

"Oh no… Father, Touya and everyone else are inside the castle!"

Sakura noticed as the darkness went towards the lower levels of the castle. Sakura watched, worriedly. Her father and brother's rooms were upstairs in the castle. But she remembered that the guards and maids of the castle were having a party downstairs.

_Oh no! Chiharu, Yamazaki… and Syaoran… They're still inside!_

"The Shadow… it's looking for a dimly lit place… Could it be?" Kero had a thoughtful look on his face.

Sakura decided not to waste any time. She rushed towards the castle immediately. She used her wings to pick up speed. Kero followed her trail. They had to get there as soon as possible.

"Kero! How are we gonna fight this card?" Sakura asked as they glided through the air.

"Well…" a thoughtful expression overcame the guardian's face. "I know one thing… The Shadow can touch you, but you can't touch it…"

"Just like The Windy…" Sakura concluded with understanding.

"Only stronger…" The grim expression returned to his face. "It can gather the shadows of the people around it to make itself even more powerful… We need to hurry up… Before anything bad happens."

A dark panther-like creature with big blue butterfly wings perched on top of the castle wall. It watched as the two dashed towards the castle.

Spinal Sun yawned. "I don't why Clow Reed sent me to watch these pathetic fools…" He looked around the place. "Well, at least it better than sitting in the Daidouji Castle eating strawberry cake…" The creature shuddered at the thought of strawberry cake.

"I'm definitely never gonna go there again…"

"Talking to yourself, I see."

Spinel Sun looked up. He growled in annoyance. He rolled his shiny blue eyes and looked back at the Kinomoto Castle.

"What the heck do you want?"

"I'm happy to see you too, Suppi!" Ruby Moon said, with a lovely tone to her voice, as she floated down towards the castle wall to stand beside her animal-like counterpart. Her pink eyes shined brightly in the moonlight. So did the black dress that hug her flawless body tightly. Her long pink hair flew in the air.

"Eriol sent me." She told him with a smile, her hands behind her back.

"Well, he didn't have to. I got this." Spinel Sun spoke confidently, without wasting his time looking at the humanoid butterfly creature.

Ruby giggled.

Spinel Sun shot a glare at her from the side.

"Ruby, I was wondering, why do you always intend on wearing a dress? You're not a real girl, you know…"

An angry expression took over Ruby Moon's face for the first time. Spinel smirked, satisfied with her reaction.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU BIG MUT?! OFFCOURSE I'M A REAL GIRL!" She shrieked, madder than she had ever been.

Spinel laughed his rare laugh and then flapped his butterfly wings to go to the other side of the castle wall. Ruby followed him with a pout on her face.

"I hate you, Suppi…" she said quietly.

Spinel smirked, hearing just what he wanted to hear.

_Music to my ears…_

**Kinomoto Staff Quarters**

"…And that, my friends, is how it happened." Syaoran told the audience. He didn't want to. But they just forced him to tell them the story of he had saved King Fujitaka. He left out the cards though. Syaoran sighed.

Everyone cheered and whistled.

"That's my best friend right there! He's my best friend, you hear me!" Yamazaki was screaming in the busy place in the top of his lungs. Fortunately, he had stopped doing so when Chiharu hit him on the head with his own sword scabbard.

Syaoran sighed again. He liked attention, but it was only when he was performing in the streets. Not now though. He yawned loudly he was tired from the day's work and wanted some shut eye. But it was too bad for him when he felt that the whole room was shaking.

"What's… happening?!" He exclaimed. He looked around him. To his surprise everyone around him started collapsing to the ground. Syaoran searched worriedly for Chiharu and Yamazaki. When he found Yamazaki, he checked the boy's pulse.

_He's still alive… Just sleeping._ Syaoran eyes widened with realization. _Wait, don't tell me… _

**Outside**

Spinel Sun floated in the air with his eyes closed, concentrating. Ruby was looking up at him, sitting on the castle wall. The butterfly-shaped crest on his chest was shining brightly. And so was the blue gem on his forehead. It stopped as soon as he opened his eyes.

"There you go… done."

**Inside**

Syaoran watched, terrified as all the shadows in the room start to merge as one. He didn't know what was happening. But he had a good idea about what was causing it.

_The Clow Cards… No! The Princess… I must get out of here fast!_

He slowly walked out towards the exit of the room, all the while watching what was happening to the shadows. He knew it was an unseen force and that he wouldn't be able to touch it or attack it unless it showed its true form.

A big shadow emerged out from the floor. It was the product of all the shadows combining together. Syaoran gulped. It was huge and it was intimidating. It didn't even notice that Syaoran was inside the room. Probably because he didn't have a magical aura. But he drew his sword nonetheless and charged towards the dark translucent blob.

Syaoran, not surprisingly, went through the giant shadow. This time, the sword's blade began glowing bright blue. He stared at in awe.

_Whoa_… _That never happened before._

But unfortunately, it didn't have that much of an effect on the Shadow, resulting in Syaoran bumping into the wall on the other side of the room, hitting his injured shoulder. He groaned in pain and watched as the Shadow walked towards the wall and went right through it to go outside.

Syaoran picked himself up, shrugged his shoulder and rushed towards the exit.

**Outside**

"Do you think we should go inside?" Sakura asked Keroberos worriedly.

Kero shook his head. "No! If we're inside the castle, the Shadow's gonna take shadows from people to make itself stronger."

"But what about the people inside? I won't forgive myself if anyone gets hurt…" Sakura was very concerned.

Kero's expression darkened. "Don't worry. It's gonna come outside… The real reason why it came is for us…"

The two watched as a giant dark shadow emerged from the castle. Sakura's eyes were wide open. She had never seen such a thing before. They slowly backed away as the Shadow came forward.

Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon were well camouflaged because of the darkness.

"Wow. Looks like a mean one…" Ruby commented, all the while playing with her pink hair.

"You have no idea."

"Quick Sakura! Get ready!" Kero instructed.

"Right!" Sakura positioned her wand in front of her, ready to dive in.

The large shadow monster slowly formed a body with gigantic arms, legs and blob-like head. It roared loudly.

"Remember Sakura! You can't touch it until it's weakened. But it can touch you! And by the looks of it, it's gonna be pretty hard to slow it down…" Kero warned her.

Sakura nodded and dashed toward the Shadow's body, bravely. As soon as she came in contact with it, the Shadow expanded its belly, causing Sakura to bounce back with a lot of force.

Sakura screamed as she flew across the air.

"Sakura! No!" Kero rushed towards her to help.

She was about to land on the ground, when her fall was broken by another body. He groaned. Sakura turned around on top of him to see who he was.

"SYAORAN! Are you alright?!"

"Your highness…" Syaoran addressed her. He was very tired.

She slowly go off him and then helped him up. She had a worried look on her face.

"Thank you…" She thanked him still holding onto both of his hands. The worry didn't leave her face.

Syaoran gave her an assuring nod. "Don't worry your highness… I've been in worse situations… We have more important things to worry about now." He looked up at the shadow monster that was walking towards them.

Sakura gave him an unsure nod, finally letting go of his hand. Kero came flying down.

"Are you guys alright?!"

Both of them nodded together. Then they looked back at each other, exchanging determined looks.

Sakura flew back into the air whilst Syaoran took out his sword. They took their stances.

"Syaoran! Don't try anything reckless! I'll weaken it with Windy first!" Sakura commanded.

_But the windy won't be strong enough alone…_ Kero thought, worry overcoming his teddy bear-like face. _Sakura… You'll need a different strategy!_

"Okay… Your highness, please be careful!" Syaoran called out to her. Sakura looked down at him and smiled.

_I will. _

Syaoran examined his sword, carefully. He remembered how last time it helped them catch Windy. The whole thing surprised him and led him to have high expectations for the sword.

_C'mon, old friend, we need your help._

He closed his eyes and held the sword upwards horizontally with his right hand.

The blade began glowing again. This time way brighter than before.

Sakura and Kero looked down at the boy. The blinding light caused them to shield their eyes.

"What's happening?!" Kero shouted.

The Shadow slowly backed up. It moaned in agony as it slowly shrank in size. The light was weakening it and driving out the darkness.

Syaoran still had his eyes closed.

Spinel Sun's eye's widened at the scene. "That wasn't supposed to happen… What's going on?"

Ruby Moon shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is that someone's gonna be really angry right now…"

"Sakura Now!" Kero shouted. The Shadow was weakened. If she could weaken it even more, catching the card would be a piece of cake.

Sakura nodded. Her eyes had sort of become accustomed to the light. She took out a card and closed her eyes, her expression becoming very serious.

"I call upon the powers of my star, ancient forces near and far, Clow card transform all your might and draw your power from my light, Windy! Release and dispel!"

Sakura hit the card with her star wand, causing streams of golden wind to come out of it. The wind wrapped around whatever that was left of the Shadow very tightly. They watched as the Shadow revealed its true form, which looked like that of a grim reaper.

Syaoran watched the scene that was taking place in the air with awe. His sword was down and the blade had stopped glowing.

**Inside the Castle **

"Holy mother of god…" The illuminating light had woken up Touya. He walked to the window to see what was happening outside. He was awestruck when he saw Sakura confront the dark cloaked figure.

**Outside**

"Hurry Sakura! Now's your chance!" Kero screamed out.

Syaoran's legs had long given out and he was on the grassy ground, looking above at Sakura with his mouth wide open.

Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated again. She skilfully spun the staff around in her fingers. Her green eyes opened up, seriousness overcoming them.

"I command you to return to your power confine, Shadow Card!" She hit the Shadow with her wand, causing the figure to turn into light and transform itself in to a card.

Sakura caught the card as she floated down. She was trying hard to breathe, but she could tell that she was doing way better than she did last time. The first thing she checked on was Syaoran. She ran towards his sitting figure and bent down towards him, worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Her beautiful green eyes showing concern.

The sight of her eyes caused Syaoran to feel even dizzier.

"Don't worry, your highness… I'm just tired… very tired…" That was all he said before he was knocked out unconscious.

"Syaoran!" Sakura panicked. Luckily she caught his head before it reached the ground.

Kero floated toward the two. "Good work guys! You're definitely getting better!" He congratulated.

_Maybe Clow Reed did know what he was doing when he paired me up with these two kids._ He thought, a smile spreading across his face.

Sakura smiled back at Kero. She put Syaoran's head on her lap and was stroking his chestnut hair, unconsciously.

A few feet away from them lay Syaoran's sword. Its unscathed blade shone in the moonlight.

**Daidouji Castle**

Eriol was looking down, the blue bangs shadowing his eyes. His left fist was balled and was shaking- shaking with anger. On his right hand, he was levitating his golden sun key ring.

_That boy…_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps behind him. It stopped when it was only a feet away. Eriol dropped the levitating key ring on his palm.

"Eriol… Are you alright?" Tomoyo asked her fiancé worriedly.

Eriol eased his shoulders and turned around.

Tomoyo smiled. A wide grin was stretched across his face and eyes shined brightly. He was looking more happy and cheerful than ever.

"Happy to see me, I see?" She flirted.

"You have no idea…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kinomoto Castle

"And that's why think we should move out of the castle." Sakura concluded with a solemn expression. Kero nodded, agreeingly. They talked about it and realized that if they stay here in the castle, they would be attracting the berserk Clow Cards to it.

"I won't forgive myself if anyone gets hurt because of me…" Sakura said, her expression darkening. Her fists balled up and she shivered. She thought about all the people who could've gotten involved yesterday. If she wasn't there, the Shadow would've never even gotten close to the maids and guards of the castle.

Today Sakura and Kero were having a meeting with Fujitaka, Touya and Yukito. Apparently Fujitaka and Yukito were also woken up by the light last night. They were really worried and thought that they should talk about the next step that they should take in this predicament.

Touya banged his fist on the table. "Yeah right! We're not gonna let you do that! You can't even take care yourself! Forget about thinking about the other people of the kingdom! Worrying about them is our job… not yours!" He scolded.

Fujitaka thought about the situation, worriedly. Sakura was his only daughter, this was true. But he had to think about the safety of his people. That was his responsibility as the king. Last night's threat was even greater than the one that took place before. He sighed. Whatever decision he made, was not going to be fully in his favor. Then he thought about it for a moment- Sakura was getting stronger after every battle.

"Touya…" She glared at him, deadlily. She rarely did that. But she was going to do anything and everything to protect the ones she loved- even if it meant coming into bad terms with her own brother.

"You can't stop me from leaving… You know that…"

Touya gave her a stern look. He wasn't gonna give up that easily. But deep down, he knew that his sister has grown up- no longer the little girl she used to be. She was a lot stronger and had become more powerful than he could've ever imagined her to become. His eyes became distant.

Sakura could've sworn that she had seen a faint smile on his face. But a second later it was gone, the serious bossy look taking over again.

He jerked his head to the side, looking away from her.

"Do whatever you want… I couldn't care any less…"

Sakura smiled, tears almost coming to her eyes. She didn't want to admit it right now, but her brother's opinion about the matter was very important to her.

"Thank you Touya, that means a lot… I won't let you down!"

"Whatever, monster."

Sakura ignored the last comment and turned towards her father, who just cleared his throat. She looked at him expectantly, with puppy-dog eyes.

Fujitaka laughed heartily. "I've already made my decision long ago, Sakura… You can go. I believe in you!... But in only one condition."

Sakura looked at him quizzically.

"You must succeed."

Sakura ran towards the king and hugged him joyfully. Fujitaka hugged her back. He moved the hair that was hanging over her face and looked at it, lovingly.

_You look so much like your mother now… Nadeshiko, if only you were here to see this… You would've been so proud…_ Fujitaka, thought and smiled.

Sakura started jumping in joy. She looked at Kero, who didn't seem as much excited though. Sakura blinked, confusedly, wondering what was wrong.

Kero had a thoughtful expression on his face. His small teddy bear-arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were scrunched up. He seemed as though he was concentrating on something.

_Last night, before we went back inside the castle, I saw a dark winged figure fly across the sky… It gave me a very empty feeling…_ Kero shivered thinking about it. _But yet, it seems so… familiar… I don't what to make out of it… but it felt like… it was… MYSELF…_

Kero woke up from his trance when he saw a hand being waved in front of his face.

"Kero… Are you alright? They said that we can head off away from the castle…" Sakura informed him, but she was worried if he was okay.

"Yeah! That's great! Absolutely perfect!... I don't know why we're still standing here!" Kero grinned. That was some really good news.

Sakura walked towards Yukito who stayed quiet throughout the whole conversation. He had a distant look in his eyes the whole time and he seemed very… off. Sakura wondered. She wasn't blushing in front of him as much as she used to like before. In fact, before, she used to think about him twenty four-seven. But it's not the same anymore. Sakura wondered why such a drastic change had occurred.

"Yukito." Sakura called out to him, a smile on her beautiful face.

Yukito looked up and smiled back, with his usual radiant smile… But it seemed like he was hiding something.

Sakura gave him an unsure and worried look. "Aren't you gonna wish me luck, Yukito?"

Yukito stood up and patted Sakura on the head. "You'll do great, Sakura! I'm sure you're not gonna even need luck! But anyway… good luck." He laughed.

Sakura giggled. She turned towards Kero.

"Are you ready to go on an adventure?!" Her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Sure am!" Kero replied, determinedly.

**Kinomoto Castle Entrance**

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Tomoyo asked, a dreamy expression in her bright amethyst eyes.

"It is." Eriol answered, thoroughly impressed.

The young prince looked around casually.

_So this is the great Kinomoto Castle… It's so much bigger and so much more beautiful than I ever could have imagined…_ He thought with a smirk.

Eriol felt the area for any magical auras.

_Sakura… Where are you?_

He felt it. Sakura's aura. It was pink and joyful. And then there was a golden one beside it.

_That's probably Keroberos…_ Eriol laughed inwardly… _Will I finally get to meet my old friend in person? I hope…_

All of Eriol's excited emotions came to a halt when he passed by another young man his age. He stopped in his tracks… and so did the other person. Eriol didn't look at him, but he could tell who he was.

Tomoyo stopped too. She was looking at her fiancé worriedly. He had a darkened look on his face. Tomoyo cleared her throat, demanding the attention of both Eriol and the other person.

"Good morning, Syaoran! How do you do?" She greeted Syaoran cheerfully. Eriol finally turned towards him, addressing him with a nod.

"Your highness…" The chestnut-haired boy bowed. "I am doing well." Syaoran was awestruck when he saw the person beside Princess Kinomoto's best friend. It was Prince Hiragizawa, the ruler of the Hiragizawa Kingdom, the kingdom where he used to live.

"Your highness…" he bowed down to him as well. Eriol examined the boy carefully.

_You have no magic… You look like him… yet you're not him… I am more than sure that you're not the person who is supposed to assist the cardcaptor… something is definitely out of place here… and I don't like it one bit. _

Eriol cleared his throat. "Rise."

Syaoran rose. "I am actually from your Kingdom." He informed the prince excitedly. "I don't know if you recognize me or not." He felt a bit foolish and out-of-place for addressing Eriol like that. He regretted it immediately.

Eriol's eyes widened. His fists balled.

_The boy was under my nose the whole time… and I didn't even notice it…_ He thought angrily.

Nevertheless, he smiled and put his hand out towards the peasant.

"No. I'm sorry… I'm afraid I didn't recognize you… there's just so much people you know… and what did you say your name was?... Syaoran, was that it? It's so nice to meet you, Syaoran!" He told him with faked genuine cheerfulness.

Syaoran shook his hand, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Tomoyo smiled at the two.

"Syaoran, do you, by any chance, know where Sakura and the others are?" She asked curiously. She wanted her best friend to meet her fiancé.

"Yes, right this way please." Syaoran led the way politely. Tomoyo followed.

Eriol stood there for a while, trying to recollect himself. He shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

_I honestly don't know why I'm worrying so much… Maybe I'm just getting old…_ He laughed inwardly and started following the two.

When they reached the room where everyone was gathered in, Syaoran let the two royalties in.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo shrieked as soon as the auburn-haired beauty came into sight. Sakura turned, a stupefied expression coming over her face.

"Tomoyo! What brings you here?!" She asked her friend. Then she noticed that there was a young man behind her. She looked at him, confusedly. Eriol smiled at Sakura.

Tomoyo cleared her throat. "Sakura, I would like you meet my fiancé, Prince Eriol Hiragizawa!"

Sakura's eyes widened with realization. She smiled and went towards him with her hand out. Everyone else in the room stood up to greet the guest.

"Hello! I'm Princess Sakura Kinomoto! Welcome to our kingdom!" Sakura welcomed the young man cheerfully.

Eriol smiled back. "It's an honor." When they shook hands, Sakura felt a slight electric shock surge through her hand. She jerked up a bit, but ignored the feeling almost immediately. But she could've sworn that she had seen Eriol smirk. She blinked confusedly, then she shrugged the feeling off.

Sakura almost screamed when she turned around and saw that Kero was still floating in the air. Normally, he always went to hiding or fell down limp to look like a real teddy bear. But this time, he was just there- floating in the air- like he just didn't care…

Eriol had to fake an astounded expression after seeing the guardian beast. He was surprised when he started doing circles around him, examining him. He almost giggled. He could tell that his little creation was trying to see if he had magic or not. He knew Kero would fail though… because he hid his magic with a veiling spell.

_Oh Keroberos… Always doing the craziest of things… _He laughed.

Sakura immediately grabbed the teddy bear-looking guardian beast and hid him behind her. She laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry… that was my…pet… bear… cub?" She felt annoyed when she heard Touya laughing in the background.

Sakura pushed Eriol and Tomoyo out of the room.

"I have an idea! Why don't I give you a tour of the castle! It's a very big place and you have plenty of interesting things to see!"

Sakura smiled when she saw a blushing Syaoran in the doorway. She mouthed a 'we'll-talk-later' to him. Syaoran nodded. He was about to leave when Fujitaka called him into the room

Syaoran went inside, nervously.

"Your highness?..."

Fujitaka went forward hugged the boy tightly, which surprised Syaoran to a level beyond belief.

"I believe I hadn't thanked you properly for saving my life, the other day. And my daughter's, and my grand-daughter's…" He smiled at the young boy.

Syaoran shook his head, feeling extremely embarrassed. "It was my duty, your highness…"

Fujitaka laughed his friendly laugh. "My son, I owe my life to you…"

Syaoran could almost feel himself shrinking because of the embarrassment, his head hung low.

"But I have another favor to ask of you…" This time worry filled his voice.

Syaoran looked up at the king.

"Sakura… She'll need your help… I don't know how you did it… but you helped her both times to finish her task… so please… I know this is too much to ask… but she needs you." He told the boy with a solemn expression on his aged face.

Syaoran tried to think what to make out of it, for a moment. "I'll…I'll try my best… even if it means risking my life… I WILL protect her with everything I have."

Fujitaka smiled. "Thank you, my son. You have no idea how much that means to me… and how much that means to Sakura." Syaoran looked at him quizzically because of the last part. Fujitaka laughed as he left the room.

This time Touya stood up. He walked over to Syaoran. Syaoran stiffened in his boots, expecting the worst.

He stopped only a few inches away from the younger boy, and examined him. Syaoran's eyes were down, not daring to say a single word. He could almost feel the prince's eyes burning holes through his skin.

Touya looked the boy up. He was only an inch shorter than him, the prince. But he knew, years later he would be way taller than him. Touya sighed.

"You love her, don't you?"

Syaoran fell from the sky after hearing that question.

Touya took him by the collars and rammed him to the wall. Syaoran groaned, when he hit his shoulder again.

"Answer me God dammit!" He grit his teeth.

"No… NO! Of course not… I'm just a peasant… She's the princess… That would be absolutely preposterous!" Syaoran said hopelessly, he knew he was playing with fire the very moment he first set his eyes on Sakura.

"Don't you dare lie to me…" Touya voice was low and threatening.

Syaoran looked him in the eyes. There was something in those eyes that was gonna make him spit out the truth, he just knew it.

Touya growled. He knew that the boy could probably overpower him, the leader of the Royal Knights. The last two battles proved it. But he didn't. Syaoran absolutely refused to fight back. Was it because he was the prince? Or, was it because he was the brother of the girl he loved? The second possibility caused Touya to feel extremely empty within.

"Yes… I love her… I love her very much… and I'm sorry."

Touya released his collars and Syaoran dropped on the ground, breathing heavily. He grabbed his injured shoulder.

"If you let anything happen to her… I'll kill you… remember that."

With that saying, the prince exited the room.

Syaoran looked out in front of him, still trying to get a hold of himself.

_Don't worry… I'll never let anything happen to her… If anything does happen to her… I'll kill myself…_

**Author's note:** 26 reviews! Yay! Readers, you have no idea how much it encourages me when you review… whether it's a negative one or whether it's a positive one, it always makes me feel as though you care… as though you want me to continue with this story. Thank you! Your reviews are what's driving me to update regularly! So plz plz PLZ **Rate and Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kinomoto Castle**

"How do you like it, Sakura?!" Tomoyo asked with a smile. She brought a whole chest full of dresses for Sakura to wear in her journey.

Sakura sweat-dropped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Tomoyo was holding up a pink dress that was fancy enough to be masquerade ball gown.

"Uhm… Tomoyo, you do know that we can't travel wearing over-the-top dresses like these. It's going to weigh us down, and attract unwanted attention."

Tomoyo's shoulders dropped and the smile went away from her face. The sadness in her deep amethyst eyes was too much for Sakura to handle. She sighed.

"Tomoyo… I really love your dresses, you know that. More than half of my wardrobe is filled with clothes that were designed by you… But it's just that we're going to move around a lot to find the Clow Cards. And when we're fighting the Clow Cards, the dresses are gonna be ruined… And we wouldn't want that would we?" Sakura tried her best to convince her best friend, a hopeful expression on her face.

Tomoyo put a finger on her chin, thoughtfulness overcoming her. She seemed pretty convinced by Sakura's argument. She sighed. Well, at least she was allowed to accompany her throughout the journey. That was all she needed. She would get to sketch every battle Sakura was involved in. The very thought caused her to smile.

"Oh okay, I understand, Sakura! Capturing the cards should be our first priority now."

Sakura was relieved. She can finally travel in peace.

There was a knock at the door. The girls looked up towards it.

"Come in."

It was Syaoran. "Have you called me, your highness?" There was a distant look in his eyes that immediately attracted Sakura's attention. Sakura walked towards him, examining him carefully to see if everything was alright. This was the first time she noticed that the boy could not look at her directly in the eye.

Her beautiful emerald eyes were filled with worry. "Syaoran… Are you alright? Did anything happen?" She asked him softly.

Syaoran stuttered, still looking down at the floor. "No… I'm fine… thank you…"

Sakura wasn't convinced. She took a step forward. Syaoran's body shook up, and he took a step backwards, away from her. This added to her worry.

"Syaoran! I wanted to ask you something!" Tomoyo cut in and interrupted the moment. She got both of their attentions. She knew what had happened with Syaoran and decided it would be better if Sakura didn't know.

"Can you come here for a moment, please?" She asked him sweetly. Syaoran slowly walked towards her. Sakura was looking at his back intently. She really wanted to know if something was bothering him. Sakura couldn't explain it. It was probably because he had helped her multiple times. She just wanted to do something good for him.

Tomoyo took a green kimono and a white hakama. Sakura gasped. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The green kimono had orange flower patterns near the neck. The sleeves had the flower patterns too and they were long and looked aristocratic. The white hakama looked like a pair of parachute pants.

"Wow, Tomoyo… It's absolutely beautiful…" Sakura looked at it dreamily. She was very used to Tomoyo making fabulous outfits for her. So she was never really surprised by their beauty. But this green kimono, she had to admit, was the best out of all of them.

Syaoran blinked, confused. He thought the outfit was very nice too- green being his favorite color and all. But he was not understanding what it had to do with him though.

Tomoyo smiled at the bewildered boy. "This… This is for you Syaoran…"

Syaoran eyes widened. "What?" He thought he heard had wrong.

Tomoyo's smile got even wider. "This is my gift to you… for always being there for my best friend… for helping her out."

Syaoran was awe-struck. "But your highness… I can't accept something like this." He looked at the fabric. It was probably cost more the amount that you need to make fifty houses down in the village. It would look unseemly for someone like him to wear an aristocratic outfit like that.

Syaoran was surprised even further when Sakura took hold of his hands and turned him towards her. His face was probably gonna burst if he blushed anymore.

"Syaoran… You have to take it! It would fit you so perfectly… You're gonna look so handsome in it when you're gonna be in battle!... And its gonna go absolutely fine with your beautiful sword!" Sakura shrieked, the dreamy expression not leaving her eyes. Syaoran almost fainted when he heard the 'handsome' part.

"Syaoran please… for me." Sakura begged him with a puppy-dog pout. Syaoran found that it was becoming hard to breathe. He slowly turned towards Tomoyo and took the kimono.

"Thank you… your highness… I shall treasure your gift…" Syaoran stuttered awkwardly and bowed down.

Tomoyo giggled. _He's so shy and sweet. No wonder my best friend has taken a fascination towards him._

She got up. "Sakura… I'll need to say good-bye to Eriol…"

Sakura nodded. Syaoran and she watched as Tomoyo left the room. He stiffened in his place. This was the first time he was alone with the princess.

"Your highness… If I may…" He bowed down asking for leave.

Sakura smiled at him. "Actually… I was wondering if you'd like to take a walk with me, in the garden." She asked him sweetly.

Syaoran nodded. Even though he was super-uncomfortable, he really didn't have a choice. He gulped.

_Oh boy…_

**Downstairs**

Yukito couldn't point out why, but he found Eriol quite intriguing. We felt very weird during the instances when he smiled at him. There was something about him. Lately Yukito had been feeling really weird. He couldn't explain. He felt depressed- you could call it. Something was disturbing him, pressurizing him from the inside, especially at night. The very fact that that he didn't know what the cause was, made him worry about himself even more. He sighed. At first he thought about talking about it with someone. But how would that help?

Yukito looked up at Eriol again. The blue-haired young prince was having the time of his life while chatting with the King.

Fujitaka laughed heartily. "Hiragizawa, I must say! You are quite mature for someone your age!" He praised.

"Oh, please don't flatter me King Kinomoto! But I must admit, great minds do think alike!" Eriol laughed along with the king.

They found that they have similar interests in books, philosophy, music and politics. Eriol felt as though he was talking to his long lost brother. He always did feel a bit old for someone his age.

"With a king like you, the Hiragizawa Kingdom is sure to prosper!" Fujitaka commented.

"I assure you, I only try my best!"

Touya looked at Yukito, worriedly. Lately he had become extremely quiet. Not knowing what was wrong with his best friend irked him.

"Hey Yuki…" He called out to him quietly, not wanting to ruin his father's fun time gossiping with the Hiragizawa Prince.

Yukito looked up at him. He couldn't hide the tired look that was behind his spectacles.

"You alright there?" Touya asked with genuine concern.

Yukito nodded with one of his radiant smiles. "I'm just very hungry that's all." The grey haired man was telling the truth, but that obviously not the only problem- and Touya knew that better than anyone else. "I think I'll just go and grab a bite."

Touya nodded unsurely. He watched Yukito get up and leave the room. The prince sighed. He went back to listening to the conversation he had absolutely no interest in. A bored expression stretches across his face.

Tomoyo entered the room, a bit surprised to see that her fiancé and her best friend's father was conversing with so much excitement. She blinked confusedly at them.

"Oh, would you look at the time! I spent more time here than I had intended to! You what they say… Time flies when you're having fun!" Eriol got up right after realizing Tomoyo's presence.

"It was nice talking to you Hiragizawa. Please come by again another time!" Fujitaka stood up as well. He shook the prince's hand, happily. Touya got up as well and shook hands with Eriol too.

The blue-haired prince looked around. There was no sign of Yukito. He smirked.

_Don't worry… Your pain will soon come to end… Please be patient… Old friend…_

**Kinomoto Castle Garden**

Sakura picked up a cherry blossom that was lying on the ground. She sighed after she breathed in the scent. She turned around and smiled at the amber-eyed boy who was following her.

"Do you like cherry blossoms, Syaoran?" She asked him with a smile.

"Yes off course, your highness." He answered mechanically. In fact, he was walking like a robot the whole time he was following her through the garden.

Sakura forced an angry pout on her beautiful face. Syaoran hated it when she did that.

"Syaoran… what did I tell you about talking to me like that?" She scolded him.

"You told me 'Do not speak with me in the formal dialect'." He repeated what she said a while ago, a sad expression flowed through his deep amber poles. He hated it when she was disappointed at him. But in this case, there was nothing he could do to fix it. Speaking informally with the princess would not look good for a peasant like him.

Sakura softened up. For some unknown reason, she was not able to handle it when those intriguing amber eyes looked melancholy. She took his hands in hers and looked at him in the eye. They were only inches away from each other. The fact that there was no one else in sight didn't help either.

Syaoran's muscles stiffened at the touch of her soft hands. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his whole life. This time, he wasn't able to look away from her gorgeous emerald eyes either. His worst fears came true. He was now staring at them like an idiot.

Sakura was completely oblivious to what was going on in his head. She smiled brightly, causing Syaoran to gulp. "Syaoran, I think we are close enough to address each other as friends." She explained to him, softly. "I want you call me by my name like Yukito does. SA-KU-RA. Try it. It's not that hard."

Syaoran looked as though she had just asked him to do the hardest task in the world. Well, it wasn't a hard task in her eyes, but in Syaoran's point of view, it was like asking him to kill an innocent person. Syaoran gulped, the terrified expression not leaving his face.

Sakura sighed. She was about to order him address her like she wanted. But then she realized that she couldn't do something like that to him- it would kill her in the inside if she did.

She let go of his hand and walked forward. Syaoran followed her unsurely. She walked a bit slowly so they were side by side.

"Syaoran, you never told me about your family before. I wonder what they're like." She asked him curiously, her hands behind her back. She was looking up at the sky.

"My family?… I don't have one." He informed him expressionlessly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She looked at him with a sad glint her eyes.

"It's okay… I've never felt the need to have a family. So it never bothered me." This time, he was the one looking towards the sky, with a distant gaze.

Sakura stopped in her tracks and turned towards the boy. "Never felt the need?!" Sakura couldn't buy it. "Everyone needs a family!" Her expression saddened. "A brother's love… A father's love… how can anyone live without it?"

Syaoran turned toward the princess, wondering where she was going with this.

"I know how it feels to lose someone. My mother died when was very young… I often wonder how I ever lived my life all these years without her." Sakura stared down at the grassy ground. She never talked about that with anyone except Tomoyo. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as though it was alright to talk about it him. She felt like he would understand, if not anyone else. Sakura believed that to live a good life, you need love from the people around you. A tear dripped down her face. She wondered how someone could live without a family.

Syaoran's hands went inside his pockets and he was looking up at the sky again. To Sakura's surprise, Syaoran was actually smiling. Her eyes widened, the tear stain still on her delicate face.

"No your highness… I'm sorry but I don't believe that…"

This time he walked forward and Sakura followed him. Syaoran picked up another cherry-blossom from the ground and blew at it. Sakura watched in awe as the pink petals flew in the air. It was beautiful.

"Real happiness…" He continued. "Comes with freedom."

Sakura looked quizzically at him, like he was speaking some foreign language. Syaoran felt the need to elaborate.

"To meet new people every day… make new friends… see different places…" For the first time Sakura saw a dreamy look in the boy's eyes. Syaoran couldn't explain why, but for some reason, he was opening up to the princess. He was feeling a bit more confident around her.

"That's when you realize that life's not all about having a father, or a mother… You live your life to the fullest when you live it your own way… You do all that YOU want to do… and no one gets to tell you anything about it! That's what real happiness is!" The amber eyed boy told her.

Sakura's eyes widened with realization. She always wanted to travel… see different places… meet new people. She had it all- a large kingdom, a loving father, a loving brother, irreplaceable friends… she read a lot of books, studied a lot and knew a lot about how everything worked… But she always felt that as though there was something missing… And whenever she looked at Syaoran, she was reminded of everything she didn't have in her life. Maybe that's why she found him so intriguing.

Syaoran smiled at the princess' confused expression. He felt bad for putting so much thought into her mind, but he felt as though everyone had the right to be free- free like him- even a princess like her. Being locked up in a castle for years and then being married away to another kingdom to be locked up there as well- No one deserved a fate like that. He had never went to school, so he never learnt how to read and write. He had to worry about making money for a living every day. But he never felt as though there was something missing from his life. He felt as though he had everything, even though he had nothing.

"Think about it…"

Sakura watched Syaoran's back as he walked away, through the flower bed. The wind was blowing cherry blossom petals in the air, and it was blowing against his unruly chestnut hair. The sight caused Sakura's heart to beat faster. She looked back at the ground.

**R & R**


	10. Chapter 10

**Kinomoto Castle**

"It's alright Mommy, I doesn't hurt anymore." The little girl said as Kaho removed the bandage from her knee. She examined her with an unsure look.

"Mommy, I promise, I'll be more careful nest time." Rin pouted at her mother, with puppy-dog eyes. Kaho sighed. It was impossible putting up with a girl like her.

"Okay, now be a good girl and go to your bed." Kaho pointed at the large bed at the center of the room. Rin was afraid of the dark so she preferred sleeping with her parents. Even though the castle was big enough to provide her her own room.

The little girl nodded. She was about to head towards the bed like she was asked to until she remembered something. She tugged on the sleeve of her mother's pink night gown, with a sad expression on her face. Kaho went back to brushing her long red hair now, while sitting in front of the mirror of her dressing table. The table looked like it was made out of gold. It was big and it was decorated with many expensive perfumes and cosmetics. She looked down at her daughter and sighed again, knowing exactly what she was asking for.

"Do you want me to read you story?" Rin nodded. A sheepish grin spread across her adorable little face.

"Yes, please!"

Kaho picked up her daughter with the help of both of her hands, and carried her towards the bed. She gently put the child down onto the soft canopy bed and tugged the silk sheets over her small form.

The red haired beauty cleared her throat, while her daughter looked at her expectantly.

"Once upon a time…" She started. "There lived a handsome young prince-" Kaho was cut off when Rin started to wriggle wildly in her position. Kaho looked down at her daughter, confused.

"Not that one! I hate it…" Rin looked up at her mother, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Alright then, what about the one about the princess who lived in a castle made of diamond?"

"No! That one was really boring…" Rin covered her face with her hands, angrily. Kaho put a finger on her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Okay, how about this one?" Kaho cleared her throat again and sat up straight. Rin looked at her attentively, expecting a new story she had never heard of before.

"It's about the Holy Swordsman…" Rin's eyes widened with curiosity.

"The holy… swordsman? What's that, Mommy?"

"It's a man who wields a magical sword- a sword that had the power to save people!" Kaho told her, excitement growing in her voice. Rin gripped the sheets tightly and eyed her mother carefully. Kaho smiled. She could tell that her daughter was going to like this story. Her mother had told this one to her a long time ago. It was a wonderful story and Kaho felt the need to pass it on.

"A sword that could save people?!" Rin's eyes were filled with amazement. She turned her body towards her mother to pay closer attention.

Kaho nodded. "Yes. It had the power to bring back from the dead the lives of the innocent."

Rin couldn't believe her young ears. "For real? Is there really a sword like that?" Tonnes of questions popped into her mind.

Kaho nodded again. "But to use such a powerful sword, the wielder had to have a pure heart. A heart that was strong… and generous, at the same time!"

"Is that why?-"

"Yes… that is why HE was known as the Holy Swordsman…"

**Hiragizawa Castle**

"So, you finally got to meet the Card Captor? How did you find her?" The brunette asked Eriol curiously. She was tall and she wore what looked like an expensive kimono. She looked like she was older than Eriol. You can presume that she was of the same age as Kaho, Touya or Yukito. This was Nakuru. In other words, this was the Guardian Ruby Moon in her fake form.

"She's a wonderful girl." Eriol informed her with a smile. "I couldn't have made a better decision choosing her as the Card Captor!" He was sitting on the big chair he usually sat on. There was a glass of wine in his hand. He shook the glass slowly and watched the meniscus move up and down.

Unlike the last few times, the room was dimly lit this time. It was a gigantic living room. But there was an eerie antic feeling to it. The castle was probably hundreds of years old. Who knows? Maybe this was the castle in which the great Clow Reed himself lived centuries ago.

"With all due respect, Eriol, I beg to differ." Nakuru and Eriol turned to the voice. It came from the same pig-tailed black cat that had been seen earlier with Eriol at the Daidouji Castle. Not only was it able to speak, but it was actually sitting cozily on a big couch, reading a very thick book. The dull expression in its blue eyes was still there. But unlike last time, the cat seemed to have a pair of small blue pixie-like wings. Needless to say, this was Spinel Sun in his very own fake form.

"It's obvious that the Card Captor couldn't have caught the cards without the boy's help." Spinel spoke matter-of-factly. The smile went away from Eriol's face- he wasn't angry like before though. The situation caused him to think- think really hard. He bent forward on his chair, pressurizing the top of his hands with the weight of his chin.

"According to your prophecy…" The cat continued, his eyes still on the book. "The protector of the Card Mistress was someone with magic. He was supposed to have magic that was powerful enough to rival that of the Card Mistress herself…"

Eriol listened to guardian carefully, all the while looking down at the floor. Even though Spinel was stating the obvious, Eriol wanted to know where he was going with this. Nakuru decided not to stress on it, for all this thinking was going to have a toll on her frail and delicate mind. She was busy admiring her newly done finger-nails instead.

Spinel turned the page. "I was wondering Eriol… Maybe this boy… Syaoran, or whatever his name was… is not the same one from your prophecy. Maybe, the arrival of the REAL protector for Card Mistress had been delayed for some reason…"

The blue-haired prince's eyes widened with sudden realization. His muscles tensed up.

_Shit… How did I overlook that?! By looking at Syaoran's appearance, I was so convinced that he was the protector that I overlooked the fact that maybe the real protector has still yet to show himself…_

Eriol smiled sheepishly at the cat, thoroughly impressed. Maybe his memories from his previous life were slowly fading away. Spinel smirked, finally looking up from the book to his master.

"So, now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

Eriol took on the thoughtful expression again.

"Nothing."

Eriol's answer caused Spinel's cat-like ears to perk up.

"Nothing, you say?" He gave Eriol a confused look. Eriol sat up straight.

"There is no need to do anything about it… The only important thing is to get Sakura to catch all the Clow Cards before I lose control of them. In all honesty, I really don't care who helps her out on the mission. Be it the protector from the prophecy, or just some random peasant boy that just looks like him… The only reason I was annoyed was because of my own 'stupidity'…" Eriol spat the last word out with disgust.

"But, how would you explain his unusual powers though?" Spinel asked an important question. Eriol felt like leaning deeper into his chair.

"I really… don't know." Eriol informed him, scrunching up his eyebrows. He looked up at the ceiling, emptily.

"That sword, Spinel… Doesn't it remind you of something?" Spinel closed the book this time, to pay full attention.

"It's funny that you ask, actually. I was just reading about a powerful weapon that existed thousands of years ago, even before your previous life as Clow Reed…"

Eriol looked back at the talking cat again, curiously.

"Oh really? Tell me about it…"

"A sword that can kill thousands at once with a single touch…"

Eriol knew he heard of something like that before, but he just couldn't remember it clearly.

"So you're saying that Syaoran's sword could have some kind of relation to it?"

Spinel had a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I wouldn't count on that. According to this book, the existence of this sword is merely a myth." He licked his paw and yawned.

"Anyway, I'm kinda sleepy now, so… good night." Spinel Sun lifted his small form off the couch with the aid of his small fairy-wings. It was way past his bed-time. One would think that he looked a lot like Keroberos in this temporary form. Eriol watched as Spinel hovered to his room.

Eriol turned around in his chair to check on Nakuru. He laughed when he found her leaning against the wall, and completely knocked out.

**The Next Morning… The Kinomoto Castle**

Syaoran was getting ready. Today they were going to leave the castle. He tied his boots and was waiting down at the entrance. There were footsteps behind him so he turned around. And before he even knew it, he was hugged tightly by a little girl.

"Good morning Syaoran!" she shrieked not letting the boy go.

"Hey there Ri- I mean, your highness!" Syaoran smiled at the child who was clinging onto him. He took her gently by the shoulders and lifted her to the ground. Rin grinned sheepishly, all the while.

"I'm gonna go play in the garden now! Do you wanna come?!" She was jumping around excitedly.

Syaoran bent down to her level. "I'd really love to…" He started sadly. "But we're gonna leave soon…"

Rin's shoulders dropped. "So are we never gonna play again?" She asked him sadly.

"Off course we will, just wait till we come back, okay?"

Rin smiled. "I will."

He looked up when he noticed the presence of another. Rin turned around to see who it was.

Syaoran stood up and bowed down to Prince Touya. Touya had a distant look in his eyes when he spotted Syaoran, causing Syaoran to stiffen. But he had no intention to back down this time. He stared back at the Prince's eyes fearlessly. Syaoran realized that he did not deserve to be treated the way the prince treated him- after all, he had done NOTHING wrong.

Touya looked extremely tired and depressed. It was probably because he was worried about Sakura leaving. It was in his very nature to get angry on any male person who was talking to his daughter. And to top things of, this was Syaoran, a person who he couldn't stand one bit. The one reason being Sakura's attraction towards him. There were plenty of people who were after the beautiful princess. But it was easy to get rid of them because she had no interest in them. The case with Syaoran, however wasn't the same.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Rin interrupted her father's thoughts. Touya looked at his daughter and smiled. He patted her on the head.

"Why don't you go and play honey? While I talk with your friend here." Rin pouted at her father, but eventually nodded with a smile. She hugged Syaoran's right leg since she wasn't tall enough. Syaoran awkwardly hugged her back. Even though it wasn't something Touya wanted to watch, he had to control his smile at the brief exchange between the two.

"Promise me you'll come back, Syaoran!" She told the boy, still hugging him.

"I wouldn't dare to not." He told her with a smile. He watched as ran off to the garden after letting go.

Syaoran turned back to the prince, expecting the worst. Touya sighed. Sakura had taken a liking to this boy. So had his one and only daughter. And everyone else… Maybe there was something that was wrong with himself, and not the peasant. Touya realized that Sakura's safety was in Syaoran's hands because he had to be here to protect his family, his father and the whole kingdom. It wouldn't be wise to be bad terms with him… at least that's what his father would've told him if he knew about what was going between the two.

Touya realized that Syaoran was still standing patiently, waiting for him to say something. He took a deep breath for this was going to be hard feat for him.

"Listen, Syaoran-" Touya was cut off before he could even begin.

"Good morning, Touya. Good morning, Syaoran." It was Sakura. Syaoran's eyes widened when he noticed her. She was wearing a white shirt, tucked in her brown pants, with boots. On her hand she had a dark cloak, which she was going to put on soon. The Star wand key ring hung loosely on her neck. She chuckled at Syaoran's bewildered expression.

_Wow, she looks beautiful even when she's not wearing a dress…_

He woke up from his trance when Touya cleared his throat. The glare he sent him for staring at his sister sent shivers down his spine. Syaoran immediately turned away from her, his head hung low so she couldn't see his reddened face. Sakura looked at him curiously, wondering what was wrong.

Touya groaned, annoyedy. He knew the two of them had a thing for each other. But he also knew that both of them were too dense to understand each other's feelings. He found their situation so pathetic that he just decided to walk away. Syaoran and Sakura blinked at his retreated figure, confusedly.

Sakura turned to the boy beside her smiled. "You ready Syaoran? We're just waiting for Tomoyo now."

Syaoran nodded affirmatively. The only belonging he had was his sword, which hung securely to his side.

Sakura looked at the boy dreamily. "Finally! I can see what life like outside the castle is! You'll show me around won't you?!" The question was more like a statement.

Syaoran smiled. "Sure. It'll be my pleasure."

**R & R**


	11. Chapter 11 'Vs The Watery'

"**VS The Watery"**

**A Forest near the Kinomoto Kingdom**

"Are you sure that you're fine with this?" Syaoran asked the auburn-haired, emerald eyed princess. His face was filled with worry. He wished the two princesses had horses to ride on because they had no idea how long this journey would take them.

"I wish you'd stop worrying Syaoran! I mean we're doing just fine!" Tomoyo told the boy with a smile. She was wearing the same outfit as her best friend, Sakura- a plain white shirt tucked into the pants. Apparently, according to her, this was the latest fashion for the people who were travelling. Sakura didn't mind wearing it since it was simple, and it didn't have a design that made her head spin.

Sakura giggled when she saw that Syaoran still wasn't convinced.

"Don't worry Syaoran! If we get too tired, we can always take turns piggy-back riding you!" The two girls laughed heartily at that. Syaoran, on the other hand, dropped his shoulders and blushed madly, not realizing how that comment had humor in it.

Tomoyo chuckled inwardly. _That was the first time I heard Sakura flirt. She never did that with Yukito. Wow, Syaoran's really bringing out the best in her. She's always so shy and awkward around most people…_ Then she sighed. _If only my friend wasn't so dense… she doesn't even realize her own feelings…_

Sakura blinked at Tomoyo confusedly, wondering what she was think about.

Syaoran looked at the sky as the two princesses followed him. He was wondering. An hour ago, when they were at the castle gate and were about to leave, Ah-Un the two headed dragon came out of nowhere and pounced on him… again. Maybe he could've brought the demon dragon along. It could've provided as a form of transportation for the two princesses. Syaoran sighed. It was too late thinking about that now.

"What are you thinking about?" Syaoran gasped when Sakura sprinted the small distance between to suddenly appear right beside him. She had a wide grin on her face after seeing Syaoran's priceless reaction.

"Your highness! Please don't do that…" Syaoran put a hand on his chest emphasizing that he was genuinely frightened. He had a faint smile on his face though.

Syaoran was carrying a big backpack on his back. It didn't have his stuff though, it was filled with tents and other necessities that belonged to the two girls. Sakura and Tomoyo had smaller backpacks on their backs too, which contained the rest of their belongings. Syaoran insisted on taking those bags as well, but the girls couldn't allow it. Sakura felt bad enough making him carry the biggest one to begin with. It was because he too was someone of her age, and she could never imagine herself doing that much work. Sakura sighed, sadly.

_I'm definitely changing some of the kingdom's rules when I become queen… _She thought angrily. Sakura gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, transferring some of the weight from her shoulders to her hands. She gave Syaoran a small sideways glimpse, checking to see if he was doing fine. Syaoran was looking forward, walking confidently and most importantly, he seemed like he didn't even break a sweat! Sakura scratched her head, clearly confused. Maybe she was the one who was unfit for any kind of physical labor.

_Maybe that's why he wanted to take our bags and make us ride horses…_ She pouted angrily to herself. _He thinks we're too fragile just because we're princesses…_ She gritted her teeth. But the angry expression in her beautiful emerald eyes would make people laugh, instead of intimidating them. _I'll show him…_

Sakura woke up from her thoughts when something from inside her backpack began wriggling. She turned her neck around to check. Kero opened the backpack to reveal his small yellow teddy bear head. He looked super-annoyed.

"I don't understand why I have to be kept in this small bag?!" He yelled out angrily from behind Sakura. "Why can't I just move around with you guys?"

"Kero! Have you forgotten? We can't let anyone see you! It's gonna raise a lot of suspicions… You told us that yourself!" Sakura reminded him.

Kero folded his hands over his small chest and puffed it moodily. "Yeah, but hiding in a place like this is degrading for an almighty guardian beast such as myself!"

Tomoyo chuckled. "Kero, you look so adorable when you're mad!" She politely put a hand on her mouth as she laughed.

Kero gritted his teeth and sank back into the backpack. "How embarrassing…" He muttered to himself softly.

Sakura blinked at him, curiously, when she suddenly remembered something. "Kero, are we getting near any Clow Cards by any chance?"

Kero popped his head out again and he surveyed the area carefully. They were now walking the dirt path through the forest. The trees were tall, but not that tall. He closed his eyes and concentrated. But he opened them almost immediately.

"Nope, nothing. But we should definitely keep walking though." The three of them nodded in agreement.

**A Lake that's a few minutes away**

The lake's water sparkled brightly in the sunlight. It was crystal clear and looked extremely beautiful. It marked the edge of the forest and it had a small grassy bank where animals usually gathered to drink the water.

Ruby Moon floated down from above till she was just a few feet above the lake's surface. She studied the lake carefully, checking whether it would be alright for the job. Then she took out a Clow Card from the side of her black dress. She smirked, admiring the craftsmanship of the design of the twelve-inch card. 'THE WATERY' it read. It had the picture of a gorgeous mermaid with gill-like ears. Ruby kissed the card and it started to glow. Then she dropped it into the lake. The glowing light spread across the water surface, and was gone almost immediately.

**Sakura and Company**

Syaoran stopped in his tracks. He could've sworn he saw a light ahead that illuminated the natural darkness that was created by the trees of the forest. But it was only for a second so he wasn't very sure. Sakura and Tomoyo stopped because he did.

"Something wrong?" Sakura asked, blinking her eyes, confusedly. As soon as she asked, Kero shot out from her backpack.

"A Clow Card! And it's very near!" He informed them- his expression- dead serious. He was very agitated as well. It was a very powerful card. One of the four elemental ones- to be more exact. Kero gritted his teeth in frustration when he couldn't figure out which one.

Syaoran took a defensive stance. So did Sakura, but she was very unsure. She stood in front of Tomoyo, so that she could protect her.

"Let's keep moving. It's gonna show itself and we'll be ready!" Kero assured the group and signaled out front.

They kept walking across the dirt path until they were out of the forest. Before them stood the lake. Kero shuddered. The Clow Card's presence was even more powerful here.

"Be careful guys! It can be anywhere here…" he let them know, a worried expression stretched on his teddy bear-face.

Sakura didn't seem to listen. She was so happy when she saw the lake that she immediately took her water bottle out. She ran towards the lake to refill it. It was one of her many fantasies to try out the natural water that was found in the lakes. It seemed as though she completely forgot about the card's presence.

"Your highness!" Syaoran went after her, his eyes widened, frightened as ever with her crazy actions.

"Sakura! What did I just tell you?!" Kero shouted out to her. Worry took over Tomoyo as she dropped he backpack on the ground.

"Don't worry! I'm just getting some water." Sakura assured them, waving them off with her hand. She bent down to the edge of the lake and dropped her bag on the ground as well. Syaoran arrived right behind her, breathing heavily. Running with the backpack on was not a wise decision.

The water surface started to glow as soon as Sakura's water bottle touched it. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. So did everyone else's. Kero's teddy bear ears dropped.

"Oh boy…"

The glowing water spouted up in the air and shot towards Sakura's astonished form with great speed. It was impossible for her to move away in time.

"SAKURA, NO!" Tomoyo shrieked.

Sakura stared till the water was only inches away from her face. Fortunately, Syaoran pushed her away just in time. The two of them fell on the ground with a large thud, Syaoran being on top of the princess. Syaoran's large backpack was blown away a few feet away from him. Sakura watched in awe, from behind Syaoran's body, as the water shaped itself to become a translucent mermaid-like creature.

Syaoran groaned in pain. The water had hit him- in the same injured left shoulder. He slowly got up from above Sakura, but he couldn't stand up properly- he was on his knees. Sakura got up as well and tried to support the boy up. She looked at him worriedly. The water blast had torn through his shirt. She tried touching there gently. Tears brimmed in her eyes when he moaned in pain the second time.

"Are… you… alright… Syaoran!?" She was stuttering unstably. Kero and Tomoyo looked at them worriedly. Syaoran slowly got up using his right arm. Sakura watched him helplessly.

"I'm fine… been through worse…" Syaoran gritted his teeth. Sakura didn't buy it though. He was in this position just because of her- and there was no forgiving that. Her eyes widened when she noticed the mermaid-like creature point its palm at Syaoran's unprotected back. It had the same emotionless expression on its face like the one Windy had before it was caught.

Sakura didn't waste a second taking her stance. "Windy! Release and dispel!"

She extended her Star Wand key ring and took out The Windy card. Long strands of wind came out from it. The mermaid-like creature was hit hard on the face by the force of the wind, causing it back off. Sakura went in front of Syaoran, trying to protecting him. A deadly expression was forced on her pretty face.

"That's The Watery, Sakura! It's just like The Windy- an elemental card!" Kero shouted out.

Sakura nodded, there was seriousness in her eyes. She spun her staff around skilfully. Syaoran slowly backed up from behind the princess, eyeing the enemy. He was looking for a good opening to attack it. The pain in his shoulder caused him to wince and almost lose his footing.

Everyone looked up when The Watery moved up in the air. With its left hand it began to manipulate the water from the lake. Streams of water moved out from the lake and swirled around the Watery majestically, effectively creating a barrier around it.

Sakura swung her staff with all her might, sending powerful blasts of wind at her target. The Watery closed its eyes and concentrated, as it levitated in the air. The streams of water circling the mermaid-like creature deflected the attacks. Sakura backed up hopelessly, not knowing what to do.

"Sakura, keep your guard up!" Kero watched carefully. The Watery looked like it was up to something. Sakura looked up at it, expecting the worst. The figure spun in the air gracefully, the lake's water was still moving around it. Sakura's eyes widened. She was scared. But she had to admit that the sight was beautiful. It seemed like the Watery was dancing.

"Your highness! Look out!" Syaoran screamed out to her, waking her from the hypnotic trance the Watery had sent her into. She gasped when the Clow Card started shooting out the streams of water at her direction.

She swung her staff one more time. The wind collided with the water blasts. The force from the aftermath blew Sakura backwards. Luckily, Syaoran was there to catch her.

_Sakura…_ Tomoyo thought sadly. _If only I could help…_

The impact from both the attacks produced a mist around the area. Water sprayed down like rain and there were dew drops everywhere. Sakura slowly got up. The fog was disturbing her vision. She held onto Syaoran's hand so that she didn't lose him. Syaoran gripped her hand tightly to reassure her. He was worried because he couldn't see a thing. Sakura looked around. The fog was blocking away a lot of light… and their shadows were becoming very large and prominent on the cloudy surface of the mist. Her head perked up when she got an idea.

Sakura looked forward. The Watery was coming closer. She could feel its aura. There was a very high possibility that it was going to advantage of the fog and fire water blasts at her blinded self. Sakura gritted her teeth- she needed to act quickly. She put back Windy into her pocket and took out another card- this time it was The Shadow.

Sakura threw the card up in the air, letting go of Syaoran.

"Shadow! Release and dispel!"

Watery's dark silhouette that was getting closer in the fog stopped in its tracks. Sakura smirked.

_Yes! The Watery is trapped in its own shadow…_

Sakura could see that the Watery was struggling. It was definitely a strong card and she knew that she wouldn't be able to hold it on for much long. She already used up a large portion of her powers when she summoned Windy. Wasting time was not an option, so she dashed forward immediately, holding up her Star Wand. She jumped and hit the mermaid-like creature with it.

"I command you to return to your power confine! Watery!" The Watery's body began to glow and it slowly shrank into a card. Sakura swiftly grabbed the two cards before she landed on the ground. She fell on her knees, and breathed heavily. She was obviously tired, but as always, she could tell that things were improving. She opened her eyes to see that the fog was slowly lifting.

Syaoran appeared right in front of her, his face filled with worry. Tomoyo and Kero were not far away either.

"Your highness! Are you alright?!" Syaoran bent down and tried picking her up gently by grabbing her shoulders.

"Way to go, girl! You showed'em who's boss!" Kero cheered. He was feeling extremely proud of her.

"Sakura! Please tell me you're okay?" Tomoyo asked softly, her voice filled with concern.

Syaoran blinked confusedly when Sakura fell into his chest. His whole body shivered up at the contact. He was never this close to any girl. And this was the girl he had a not-so-small crush on, who also, unfortunately for him, happened to be a princess.

Sakura smiled faintly, her hands around Syaoran's shoulders to support herself from falling. Her eyes were slowly closing up.

"Guy's don't worry… I'm perfectly fine… Just very… very sleepy..." She yawned.

It got even harder for Syaoran when she looked up at him with her deep emerald eyes. He gulped. She looked beautiful even when she was tired and disoriented.

"I did it… by myself this time…" She told him. Syaoran smiled and nodded. He quickly grabbed her by the waist when she passed out and was about to fall over. Her sleeping face buried deeper into his shirt.

**R & R**


	12. Chapter 12 'Fear of the Dark'

**Fear of the Dark**

"What about this one?" Sakura picked up a small mushroom from the forest's grassy ground. It was almost night-time. She showed the mushroom to the boy who was standing in front her.

"No. That's poisonous." Syaoran informed her. He only glimpsed at it for a second and turned around. Sakura blinked, confused. She was thoroughly impressed by how much Syaoran knew about survival in the forests. Things like these really intrigued her and she wanted to learn as much as she could through this practical experience.

Syaoran began walking forward. Sakura bent, and put the mushroom down at its initial location, and hurried towards him. She followed him closely, as it was getting dark- really dark. Sakura couldn't help but shiver a bit- for she really hated the dark.

"Hey, um, Syaoran? How long is it gonna take to get to Tomoyo and Kero?" She asked the boy with a low voice. She didn't want to sound scared and worry him. But her voice was shaky and she couldn't help it.

Syaoran turned around, with a confused look.

"We're almost there, your highness." He blinked. "It'll take at least five minutes though…" Syaoran noticed that she was walking extremely close to him and it seemed like she was feeling cold or something.

"Is everything alright… your highness?" He asked her unsurely. He stopped walking to face her frightened form. Sakura gasped when he did that. Syaoran eyed her worriedly. He was wondering if anything was bothering her. She was perfectly fine a while ago.

The two of them had left Tomoyo and Kero an hour ago in their camping ground. They left the bags they were carrying there as well. Apparently, Sakura had insisted that Syaoran and she should go into the forest and do some exploring. She wanted him to tell her about what kinds of food could be found growing in the forest. For example, whether the plants growing on the ground were edible or not. Or, whether, like they were discussing a while ago, the mushrooms were poisonous or not. It was a bit before evening that time, so it wasn't so dark. Syaoran insisted that they do the tour in the morning, but Sakura's charming persuasiveness and childish excitement got the best of him. So, now they were walking back to the camping ground, and it had gotten very dark. It didn't take long for Syaoran to realize that Sakura was regretting her former decision.

Sakura looked down at the ground, her face was hidden by her smooth auburn bangs. Her fists were balled and shaking. She stood there right in front of Syaoran, not looking up to meet his eyes.

She gritted her teeth. _He must think that I'm such an idiot now… I was the one who persuaded him to come with me… and, now… it's so dark… and I'm so scared! If I only I was more brave and smart like him… I would've never gotten into this mess…_

Syaoran looked at her with eyes wide open. His body stiffened.

_Oh my god! She's shaking! I she… crying?_

She wasn't saying a word. But he could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Her nyctophobia was kicking in, but he couldn't understand what was going on. He never dealt with a situation like this before. To be more precise, he never dealt with a girl before. He gulped.

_Should I ask her what's wrong… Or is it none of my business?_

Sakura's body shook up once again. In her room in the castle, she had had always a night-light on. Her father knew about her nyctophobia, so he set it up that way. As such, she had never been exposed to pitch black darkness like this before. Sakura let out an almost inaudible terrified gasp when she found that she was unable to move her arms.

"Your highness… Is something wrong?" He asked her, his voice filled with concern. If it was possible, he would've taken a step closer… But they were only inches apart. At first, he was thinking about what the people of the kingdom would do if they found out something had happened to the princess. If that was all that he cared about, he could've fled from the scene, ditching the princess in the murky darkness of the wilderness. But that, obviously, wasn't all that he cared about…

Syaoran slowly bent down in front of the princess, since she was keeping her head down, and refused to look up. When Syaoran bent low enough, and got a look at her face he noticed that her eyes were scrunched up. It was like… she was afraid to open them.

"Princess…" He looked up at her with pleading eyes. He wanted to help her out so badly. But he needed to know how he was going to do it. Before he could say another word, the princess dived into his bent down form, causing him to gasp loudly. He watched as she gripped the fabric of the back of his shirt, and buried her face into his chest for the second time.

He was blushing, yes. But Syaoran realized that now wasn't the time for that. He could hear her sobbing loudly, and he could feel her the water from her tears seep through the thin clothing. Sakura was shaking violently, and the only thing he could do in this position was put both his arms around her weak form.

_Damn… What's goin' on? Maybe she's afraid of the dark or something… I wish she'd let me know that… But what do I do now?_ Syaoran wondered worriedly, all the while looking down at her. Her hair was touching the tip of his chin, and he gulped when she grip tightened, and the sound of her constant sobs became louder.

Almost instinctively, for it was not something Syaoran would be too keen on doing, he put a hand on her head and caressed her smooth auburn locks. His eyes opened wide. He admired its godly beauty, but he felt as though he was degrading it with his dirty and undeserving peasant hands. That is why his hands were shaky and he was being as gentle as possible.

Syaoran let out a sigh of relief when her sobs started to decrease in frequency. He could tell that she was feeling a bit better when her grip loosened. Sakura's face was still buried though, and they were still stuck in that awkward position, on the ground. Syaoran quickly put his hand down from her head, and looked at her expectantly.

"Don't stop… please…" Came out Sakura's soft muffled voice from inside Syaoran's chest.

"Huh?" He was genuinely confused. Sakura lifted her head a bit, but did not look at the boy in the eyes. Syaoran's heart started beating faster when he saw that her face was stained with tears, and her eyes- her beautiful emerald poles, were still watery.

"My mom…" She continued with a shaky voice. "She used to stroke my hair when I was a kid and I was afraid of the dark…" A faint smile appeared on her face. Syaoran blinked at her.

"That's one of the only memories I have of her… She always knew how to make me feel better…" Sakura looked around the place. She felt dizzy when she noticed that it had gotten even darker, so she buried her face back into his shirt again.

"Please…" she begged, with a soft voice. Syaoran nodded stiffly, and reluctantly put his hand back on her head. Sakura smiled again and hugged the boy the tighter. Her legs were spread on over his.

"Thank you… Syaoran…and… I'm sorry…" She wasn't worrying about how they would get out of the place, for she was feeling safe right there in his arms. So, she slowly drifted away to unconsciousness. Syaoran nodded again, for his mouth wasn't being able to produce words at the moment. But he did caress her hair more confidently this time- knowing that she was actually liking it.

_Okay… So how are we going to get out of here, though?_ Syaoran wondered, looking around the place. It really had become very dark. So dark, that it was difficult to spot the outline of the trees that were surrounding them. He looked up at the sky.

_I can't see the moon… What's going on? It never gets this dark… _

Syaoran jerked up when he felt something shaking against his waist. He looked down and grabbed his scabbard with his free hand, holding it up, curiously, so that he could take a closer look at it. The sword didn't stop shaking.

_This had happened before… when I was with Princess Rin._ He wondered, blinking his eyes at the unusual sight. _But, what's it doing?_

Syaoran eased up his stiffened body when Sakura squirmed to get a more comfortable position.

_Maybe it's trying to tell me something… But swords can't communicate! That's absurd… But then again this isn't your average sword…_ Syaoran looked at the shaking sword in his hand with awe. He could feel that it was shaking even harder now. _How about I try unsheathing it…_

Syaoran held the sword upside-down, by the hilt, with one hand, so that the scabbard could slide down by itself, for he was still stroking Sakura's hair with his other hand. He watched carefully as it did, and gasped softly when he found that the blade was glowing brightly. It was a radiant and blue, just like earlier when Sakura and he were confronting the Shadow card.

Syaoran smiled. _Yes! The light from the sword can guide my way through the forest… _He took a firm hold of Sakura's body and slowly lifted himself up.

**Another Dimension**

The old man smirked as he watched the scene that just took place. Everything was going according to his plan.

"You have done well, Syaoran… Way better than I ever would've expected." He commented. The man was sitting on one side of a really large red couch. He was big- very big. His beard was thicker across his jawbone than across his chin. His face was hidden by the darkness, but you could notice that he had a monocle on his right eye, because it was shining brightly. The hair that was spiked up across the temples kept its natural grey. The rest of it was probably dyed black. The old man wore a large black overcoat and looked as though he was of high authority.

The room had a dim reddish glow to was a holographic screen hanging in thin air right before him. From there, he could eavesdrop on Syaoran's activities.

The man laughed. He eased up his body and put his legs up on the couch.

"Eriol… You must think that things are going out of place merely because of a coincidence…"

His expression darkened. He put his elbow on the couch's armrest and rested his head against his fist.

"But you forget… that there is no coincidence, only inevitability…"

He felt a presence approaching him, and his ears perked up. The man turned his head, slowly. A woman, wearing a white kimono walked towards him, emerging from the darkness behind the room.

The man smiled. "If it isn't Kazera! How do you do, my dear?"

He didn't bother to sit up straight to greet her. The girl was around Sakura's age. She had black hair that was tied up neatly into a bun, and she had piercing red eyes. There was something disturbing about those eyes. Maybe she was beautiful enough to belong to an aristocratic family, but the malicious expression in her face would bring up questions on whether she was actually human or not.

Kazera smirked, and bowed down once she was beside him.

"Greetings, my lord. Have you summoned me?" Her voice dripped with sweetness- sweetness that she was forcing into it. If you paid closer attention, you could notice that she was gritting her teeth. She definitely did not like the fact that she was called, but she was more or less obligated to do her job.

"Yes, I have, my dear." The old man turned his head back to the screen. "I have a… task, for you." His expression turned serious. Kazera sent him a quizzical look, raising one of her eyebrows. It was obvious that he had a task for her, otherwise he wouldn't have called. But of what kind?

**The Forest**

Syaoran carried Sakura's sleeping form as he walked slowly along the dirt path. He was looking around, warily. It was a dangerous time right now, and their light was probably attracting the attention of nearby predators. He started walking a bit faster, making sure he didn't make too much noise. His unsheathed sword hung by his waist, right beside its empty scabbard. The blade, to Syaoran's fortune, was still glowing radiantly.

_Hang in there, princess! We'll arrive at the camping grounds in no time._ A determined expression stretched across his face.

**Other Dimension**

"Him." The man pointed at the screen, towards Syaoran's form. Kazera gasped. She knew that boy.

"Syaoran…" Her voice was merely a whisper. _He's still alive?_

"It's been so long hasn't it, my dear?" The man laughed wickedly when he saw Kazera's expression.

Kazera gulped, and her eyes widened. That boy… Syaoran… she had last seen him when he was just a small child, when they were both very young. It was when… 'The accident' took place. She now knew that he was still alive.

"You know what you have to do." The man told her, his eyes were closed, he was probably going to take a nap now.

Kazera wanted to send him a biting glare. But she had no choice but to do as she was instructed. She turned around and walked back to the direction she came from. Her wooden sandals knocked on the floor loudly. She was very mad.

_Syaoran…_ She thought. Kazera growled in a low voice. _And there was that girl in his arms… _At least now, she had finally found someone to take her anger out upon.

"Oh yes, and Kazera." Kazera's ears perked up when she was called out to again. She turned around to look at the back of the couch on which her master was lying.

"Make sure that he doesn't remember anything… We really don't want that to happen, trust me…" The man's expression was unknown because she couldn't see his face. But his voice suggested that it wasn't a mere jest.

"Off course, my lord. If that is what you wish." She turned around to leave.

**A/n: So there's a new enemy out there… Just how much are these people tied to Syaoran's past? And what are their plans with him and the Card Captor?**

**R & R **


	13. Chapter 13 'Vs The Wood'

**VS 'The Wood'**

"Kero! Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Tomoyo's voice was in a whisper, and it was shaky from fear. She wrapped her body around with a blanket and gripped it tight.

The guardian beast nodded, a worried expression spread over his face. The two of them were inside one of the tents they put up on their camping ground. They were looking through the small slit-like opening of the tent to see what was happening outside.

The trees in the forest uprooted themselves, and had started to move about like they were walking. The branches and roots moved around like limbs and the sight was plain creepy. Some of the trees were slowly moving towards the tent, probably because they were attracted by Kero's magical aura.

Tomoyo gulped. "Why hasn't Sakura and Syaoran come yet?! I'm starting to get really worried." She shivered in her position. The amount of moving trees were growing in number. If Sakura and Syaoran were still in the forest, surrounded by all these trees, they would be in deeper trouble.

"Don't worry! We should think about ourselves now..." Kero explained. Tomoyo turned around to give him a hurt look. Kero sighed.

"Listen Tomoyo, those two kids are powerful enough to protect themselves!" Kero sounded sure and confident. But Tomoyo was far from feeling the same way. She kept her head down, thinking about all the terrible things that could be happening to her dear best friend as they were speaking. Tears started to brim in her eyes.

**Above**

Eriol looked down at the tent from above. He was standing on his all-too-familiar circular pattern of the sun, moon and stars. It was glowing golden like always. Levitating high in the air, he was able to monitor the Clow Card's power with his magic. The blue-eyed boy wore his usual black cloak, which blue and yellow decorations. On his head, this time, wore a huge black hat. He moved his golden sun-staff around skilfully. He had an agitated expression his face, which was not usual, for he was normally so calm and collected.

_Dammit! Why'd they have to bring Tomoyo along with them! She obviously can't even protect herself…_ Eriol gritted his teeth, angrily. He didn't care about the girl. Or at least that's what he wanted himself to think…

He had released 'The Wood' to move around freely on its accord, and attack Sakura and Syaoran. But now he was there, above the tent, using his magic to keep the walking trees away from tent. He obviously regretted his decision about releasing the given Clow Card. Eriol shook his head his vigorously.

_Stop thinking about Tomoyo, God Dammit! You're doing this for your faithful guardian beast, Keroberos! _Eriol swung his sun staff with all his might to deflect a tree that was moving too close to the tent. Eriol was breathing heavily. The staff was pretty heavy and the job was using up a lot of his life force. He raised a brow in confusion.

_Why is this taking up so much of my energy? This younger body was supposed to amplify my strength…_ He thought, worriedly. _And… the Wood… Is it just my imagination? Or is it more powerful than it is actually supposed to be?_ The young-man straightened up and tried bringing himself together. _Either way… I know what must be done… So I'm gonna use everything in my power to do it!_

Kero looked up to sky from the opening in the tent.

_This aura… Its Clow Reed's… I'm sure of it. I felt it before when we fought the Windy. It was faint at that time… but now it seems pretty obvious… But where on earth is he? Could he actually still be alive?_ The teddy-bear like guardian beast wondered.

To Kero, Clow Reed's presence was so prominent above in the sky, that it felt like was standing right above the tent. But unfortunately, for him, Eriol's veiling spell was active, and it was impossible for anyone to see him with naked-eyes.

Kero shook his head. Even though Clow Reed's presence was a matter of great concern, it wasn't their main priority now. He looked back at the moving trees. They were using their roots like legs and were walking with them. At times, it would seem like they were coming towards their tent, but at the very next moment they would move in another direction away from the tent. Kero was genuinely confused. Could they not feel his aura? Anyway, they could not hide in that tent forever, that's for sure.

**Inside the Forest**

Syaoran looked around, his eyes widened. He was resting behind a bush, with a sleeping Sakura still in his arms. She cuddled comfily, completely oblivious to what was going on around her. Syaoran held her tightly. He had sheathed his sword back into its scabbard to make it stop glowing. He gulped at the scene before him.

_The trees are actually moving… I can't believe it! _He thought fearfully.

The colossal uprooted plant life forms were walking around aimlessly. Syaoran put a hand over Sakura's face to cover it. If she woke up, he knew, she would definitely scream out at the terrifying sight.

He stiffened and straightened up in his position. The sound of the rustling twigs beneath him made him gasp silently. Fortunately for him, the noise did not attract the trees. Syaoran blinked confusedly at them. They did not seem to notice his presence. Was it because he had no magical aura to attract them? He looked down at Sakura's beautiful and peaceful face.

_I guess her aura dissipated when she lost her consciousness… _

Syaoran looked back at the trees, worriedly. They were going to spot them sooner or later. And when they do… he won't be able to fight all of them all alone. He wouldn't be able to protect himself. And more importantly, for him, he wouldn't be able to protect the princess. Syaoran gulped at the thought.

_How do we get out of this?! _He gritted his teeth in frustration.

**Camping Grounds**

Eriol was trying really hard to maintain his posture, and he was almost out of breath. He was panting loudly. His magic was being used to control the trees, keep himself in the air, and hide himself using the veiling spell. If this continued, his veiling spell would stop working, and then, Kero… and Tomoyo would see him. A droplet of sweat dripped along Eriol's blue bangs.

_If Tomoyo finds out…_ He gulped. Then shook his head violently once again. _So, what if she finds out?! _He scolded himself._ YOU ARE CLOW REED! You don't have to explain yourself to anyone!_

Eriol was almost on all fours now. He used the sun staff to support himself and looked below. _Something is definitely wrong here… Controlling the Wood should be child's play! Even for a newbie like Sakura!_ He grunted in his frustration.

**Below**

Tears streamed along Tomoyo's face. "Oh, Kero! What do we do?!" She sobbed. Kero stood out in front of the frightened girl, a determined look on his face. The trees were getting closer and closer. If this keeps up, he'll have to step up. He shuddered at the thought, because in his current form, he won't be of much help. Whatever happened, he would try his best to stop Tomoyo from getting hurt.

_C'mon Sakura… Syaoran! Where are you?!..._ He groaned in frustration.

Inside the Forest

Syaoran slowly backed, watching the trees carefully. They were coming closer and it was obvious that they were now aware of his presence. He watched in horror as all the trees that were moving randomly before, were now turned towards his direction.

An idea came to his mind that he should lay Sakura on the ground, and charge towards the trees with his blade. His sword would be able to cut through the branches and roots… and even the trunks if swung it hard enough. But he couldn't. First of all, because he was clearly outnumbered. Second, there were more trees behind him that would start moving soon. They would attack Sakura's sleeping figure if it was left alone. Syaoran grunted since there seemed to be no way out of this.

He looked down at Sakura with a worried face. Just how long was he carrying her? A long time, that is to say without a doubt. But he thought it through. Even if she woke up she wouldn't be of any help because of her nyctophobia. Which meant… there as only one option.

Syaoran lay her sleeping form down on the ground gently, all the while looking at the trees that were approaching him. They were slow, but they were only a few feet away from him. His new plan didn't involve charging towards the trees, but to wait for them to get to him. This way he would be close to the princess, so that he could protect her and fight at the same time.

One of the walking trees raised its branches, preparing whip Syaoran with it. Syaoran drew his sword with a grunt. This was it. If it was in his fate to die protecting the princess, then so be it…

Syaoran slashed the branch away skillfully, causing the tree to jerk backwards. But it was immediately backed up by a dozens of others form the behind. One of them tried to stab him with a root, but managed to dodge it in time. If Sakura wasn't there he could've jumped over the trees and outsmart them.

Syaoran groaned when a branch from behind wrapped itself his neck. He screamed in pain, trying to pull the branch off of him. But it was of no avail. _Dammit!_

The branch around his neck lifted him up from the ground. He tried cutting it with his sword, but another branch came and wrapped itself around his right hand, effectively causing him to drop the weapon.

Syaoran gagged. The branch was wrapping around his neck too tightly and his vision was getting hazy. All he could were trees- lots and lots of trees. They were crowding in on him.

"Princess…" he cried out weakly. His eyes scrunched up in pain. Leaves were brushing against his body and he could feel branches and roots wrap around his legs and left-hand. Through his foggy eye-sight, he saw that one branch was coming straight towards his face… like a whip. Syaoran closed his eyes immediately, expecting the worst…

His eyes were still closed, but the blow never came. He felt a gentle breeze against his body… it felt very soothing.

Syaoran's eyes shot open when felt that the branch around his neck loosened its grip. He flexed his biceps, trying to pull his hand out of the branches that were holding them, since he felt that they were loosening as well. The branches crumbled to pieces, freeing his arms, which he then used to pull apart the one that was strangling his neck. He started coughing loudly after he managed to do so.

The roots and branches that were holding his legs gave away, so he was now back on the ground. He watched, confused, as the trees slowly backed away- every single one of them. Syaoran turned around immediately, an expression of great concern taking over his face.

"Princess!" He yelled out and rushed to her aid. She was still sleeping on the ground, but there were roots, coming out from the ground, wrapped around her limbs. Syaoran frantically tore them with his bare hands.

"Thank the gods you're alright!" He exclaimed happily. After seeing to it that she was okay, he turned around to look for his sword. He spotted a few feet away, and went forward to grab. But he stopped in his tracks when he felt something unusual… again. His eyes widened.

_This breeze… Where is it coming from?_

Syaoran's head jerked up when he felt a presence above of him. His mouth dropped open when he saw a girl, probably the same age as him, floating in the air… on a giant feather. She was wearing a white kimono and had black hair with piercing red eyes.

Kazera looked down at Syaoran. She smirked seeing his bewildered expression.

_Surprised to see me, I see…_

On her hand she had what looked like a paper fan. A serious expression stretched on Kazera's face. She blew the fan with all might, all the while sitting on her giant flying feather.

Syaoran gasped when he saw blades of wind come out from Kazera's fan. The blades flew towards the moving trees, cutting down most of their branches and leaves, thereby forcing them to back off even further.

He was hit with realization. _She was the one who saved me…_

Kazera jumped down from her feather when the coast was clear. The huge feather shrank into a normal sized one and floated down towards her. She caught it and put it in her hair, which was tied into a bun.

Syaoran picked up his sword and studied the girl, trying to figure out whether she was friend or foe. It was true that she had saved him. But what was her motive? Did she really want to assist him? Or was he just in the way when she was attacking the trees? Either way, it didn't matter to him, though. All he cared about was the safety of the girl behind him.

Kazera examined the boy as well. _So it's true… He really doesn't remember anything…_ She gritted her teeth. But she forced the angry expression to fade away almost immediately. Whether Syaoran remembered her or not was of no concern to her. Or at least, that's what she wanted to convince herself. An emotionless and indifferent look took over her face.

Syaoran straightened up and smiled. He owed this girl his life. He felt extremely ashamed that he didn't thank her immediately.

"Thank you for helping me out! My name is Syaoran and I am one of the castle guards from the Kinomoto Kingdom." He introduced himself friendlily.

Kazera shot a deadly glare at Syaoran, startling him. She was obviously not interested.

"Don't get me wrong! I had no intention of helping you out!" She walked away from him, towards the moving trees, and slashed the air with her fan. Another barrage of blades hit them, damaging them severely. He watched in awe as all the trees fell down on the ground, promising not to come up again.

Kazera took the feather out from her hair and threw it back in the air. It expanded to its former larger size. Syaoran shielded himself against the strong wind that produced by the transformation. He watched as Kazera went back into the air, preparing to leave.

She looked down at him again, still glaring. _You aren't half as strong as you used to be… How pathetic!_

Kazera smirked, realizing that now was a good time for her introduction. "I am Kazera, the wind demoness!"

Syaoran tried his best to look through the wind. _Wind demoness?… Well, that explains her extraordinary powers! _He figured out.

"I am not a friend, if that is what you were thinking." Kazera smiled maliciously at the confused young man. Syaoran put his arms down, for the wind was now gone, and looked quizzically at her.

Kazera laughed an evil laugh, seeing his expression. "We'll definitely cross paths again… Syaoran!" She emphasized on his name, as though it was all too familiar to her. Syaoran blinked, not knowing what that was about.

Kazera looked at Sakura's form disdainfully. She knew well about Syaoran's feelings for her. He was going to sacrifice his life selflessly for her just a while ago. Just the very thought of a spoilt princess holding Syaoran's heart in the palm of her hands made Kazera grunt disgustedly.

Syaoran watched as Kazera flew away into the night sky, clueless as ever. He looked down at the ground. The soil was turned inside out by the uprooting of the trees.

_Kazera… _He wondered about the mysterious girl.

**Camping Ground**

Eriol couldn't believe his eyes. He watched, fearfully, as one of the trees used its branches to strangle Tomoyo's neck and pull her off the ground. His eyes widened when she shrieked in pain.

Kero was trying his best to fight them off as much as he could. But he wasn't being that successful.

The guardian beast was breathing heavily. "TAKE THIS!" He started to breathe fire. But it was only a weak ember. All he managed to do was crumble a few branches and leaves. If this was an ordinary situation, his attacks would've caused a forest fire by now. But unfortunately, the trees were protected by the Wood's magic.

Kero gasped when he noticed Tomoyo. He rushed towards her. His small form made it easy for him to dodge the extending branches. But the same could not be said for Tomoyo, though.

"Hold on, Tomoyo! I'm coming!"

Tomoyo's shrieking got louder. Her words couldn't be heard since her voice was suppressed. Eriol became frantic- he had to something before it was too late! He was almost drained off his magic. That is why he wasn't able to control the trees anymore. He was using the last of it to keep himself hidden. His eyes were scrunched up in pain…

_What should I do?... This all my fault!_ Eriol's ears perked up when Tomoyo's screaming had come to a halt. He looked at her, concerned. Her eyes had closed and more and more branches were wrapping around her body.

"TOMOYO!" Eriol got up, outraged. He didn't care if anyone saw him. All he could think of now was Tomoyo. He looked around frantically for the guardian beast, Keroberos. His eyes widened when he saw that he was captured as well.

Eriol tried his best to stand up straight and hold onto his golden sun staff. He had an idea. Putting a hand into his cloak, he took out two cards. "THE FIREY" and "THE EARTHY", they read. He threw the cards in the air and hit them with his sun staff. They vanished into the staff and it began to glow. Eriol used the last of his magic to hold the glowing sun staff in the air.

_Hope this works…_ He prayed. This was his only hope.

Kero watched in horror as Tomoyo lost her consciousness. He was struggling against the branches, but he stopped, when he felt something weird coming from inside him. His eyes widened when he noticed that his body had begun glowing.

"What the hell is happening to me?!" He shouted. His tiny angel wings had started to enlarge and he was immediately hit with realization.

The bright light emitted by the guardian beast repelled the branches, thereby freeing him. Kero closed his eyes and concentrated. His wings got even bigger and it closed around him like a shell.

Eriol fell on his knees on the bright floating pattern. He sighed in relief. _It worked…_ He smiled. Before you knew it, he vanished into the wind, to find refuge.

Kero's shelled form slowly floated upwards. Its glow illuminated the whole place. It even reached towards Tomoyo's unconscious form, causing the branches wrapped around her to crumble down.

The wings slowly spread open to reveal a large, golden, lion-like creature. It had a red stone on the crest on its forehead. And also on the crest that was attached to its chest. Its eyes opened to reveal gold pupils.

Kero's new form flapped its large angel wings. It bore its teeth out. "Oh no! Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo was falling to the ground, since the branches had released her. Kero dashed towards her falling form swiftly, and caught her with his back when she was a feet or two away from reaching the ground. He sighed with relief when she started coughing.

Kero looked back towards the trees. They were moving towards him, but were crumbling down when they came close to the light that was emanating from his new body. He turned around, to face them, an uninterested expression spread over his regal lion-like face. Because he knew, this time, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Kero puffed his chest and roared out a gigantic blast of bright red fire. It wasn't small like before- it was so big, that it enveloped all the trees at the same time. The trees burned to ashes. It didn't cause a forest fire since the fire had magic in it.

"That should take care of it…" Kero took flight, with Tomoyo's unconscious form still on his back. He had to go find Syaoran and Sakura. Things were getting serious…

**R & R**


	14. Chapter 14 'The Moon'

**THE MOON**

The card floated down from the air to Syaoran's hands, which were held open. He eyed the object steadily and made sure it landed in his palms with utmost care. He blinked. "THE WOOD" it read.

"So, it really was a Clow Card… I should've known…" Syaoran figured. He turned back towards the princess and sighed.

"I can't give to her now… she's knocked out. So what do I do with it?" He wondered whether he should even be touching something this important. It was the princess' property, after all.

Syaoran quickly turned back around when he heard loud flapping of wings. He looked up and gasped. _What is that?_ He watched the majestic creature fly across the sky with awe. Its golden glow illuminated the dark night sky.

An unconscious Tomoyo lied on the winged lion-like creature's back. _Princess Tomoyo! No!_ He felt devastated, thinking that he had failed to protect her. The sight of the creature caused Syaoran to stiffen and grab onto his sword, thinking of it as an enemy. But then realization hit him. There was something familiar about the creature… And, if it had harmed Princess Tomoyo, why would it be carrying her around on its back?

Kero looked down at Syaoran. He would've smirked, smugly, at his stupefied expression if the situation were less intense. Now definitely wasn't the time for that. He gazed over to Sakura and wondered worriedly how they had fared against the rogue Clow Card that was without a doubt more powerful than it should've been.

**Hiragizawa Kingdom **

Eriol walked into the room with a heavy heart. He was perspiring heavily and his blue bangs were wet. The footsteps were loud and echoed through the castle's hallway. Tonight's incident was definitely uncalled for, and he thought carefully about what his next step would be.

_Just great… Just when I thought that things couldn't get any more out of hand! _He grit his teeth and slammed his body onto the couch. _First it was the boy, and now this..._ The blue eyed prince sighed, annoyed.

When he was about to get a bit comfortable, his head suddenly jerked back in pain. And he screamed. Both his hands were on his head and when he leaned forward, he fell off the couch.

Eriol tried to catch his breath. _It's happening…_ He could feel himself becoming weaker- his magical powers slipping away.

Eriol wasn't the complete reincarnation of Clow Reed. He got most of the legendary magician's memories. But not even close to inheriting all his magical powers.

He let out a breath of relief when the power was coming back up again. Grabbing onto the couch's armrest, he pulled himself up. He perfected his posture and fixed his disoriented clothes- just in case Spinel and Ruby came in. He didn't want them to worry. Although, he was sure they would find out sooner or later.

The humorous look that was usually stretched on his face was nowhere to be found. It was only on rare occasions like these that he lost his composure. He slowly walked towards the window, a slight bit glad that he was being able to do so properly. For he was merely limping helplessly a while ago.

The minimized sun staff hung between the fingers of his right hand. He gripped it tightly; he realized that there was no other choice. Waking up Sakura's other guardian was something he was supposed to do in the future; when she was done gathering all the Clow cards. At the moment, she wasn't even done gathering half of them.

"Yue, my old friend. This may be hard for you to accept, but you will have to work under a new master now." Eriol smiled. The stressed look on his face faded away for a moment. He was going to throw the cards at Sakura at a faster pace now; just to get them off his shoulder. He knew well that, with his powers weakening, he would not be able to keep them in control for long. That is why the Moon guardian had to come in. Keroberos wouldn't have the power to fend off the cards and protect Sakura all by himself. Even in his true form.

Eriol threw the sun staff key ring in the air and it became larger. He swiped the gigantic golden rod in the air, and it glowed red. Once he was done, he used the staff to support himself. There was a peaceful smile on his face as he looked up at the full moon; because there would be little to worry about now. Everything will be fine. Sakura would be able to get the cards, and if everything went accordingly, nobody would be harmed. Especially that certain amethyst eyed princess that was always on his mind.

"Princess Tomoyo…"

**Kinomoto Castle**

A party was being held in the gigantic ball room. The dinner table was big; large enough to fit hundreds of people and probably more. The royal red sheets were spread across its surface and it looked like it was made of pure gold. Delicious dishes and expensive drinks were scattered across it and the servants were attending to it every second. There was an enormous chandelier high above it, and the place was majestically lit.

King Fujitaka Kinomoto sat on the main seat. It was larger than the others and was located on the end of the long rectangular table. There was a drink in his hand, which he held up in the air, indicating the initiation of a toast.

"To the prosperity of the Kinomoto Kingdom!" The king announced excitedly. The table had all the high officials of the Kinomoto Kingdom. Beside the king sat Prince Touya, who had a bored expression on his face. And beside the prince sat his trustworthy best friend, Yukito, who was smiling his brightest smile. They raised their glasses to the toast with affirmation, and so did everyone else on the table.

"And to Princess Sakura successfully collecting the Clow Cards!" Fujitaka had even more excitement in his voice this time; and the audiences' response did not disappoint.

The people in the kingdom were far from knowing what was actually going on with Sakura. They had absolutely no way of knowing.

Touya glared into his plate.

_I still can't believe that we let Sakura go off alone… With a peasant boy nonetheless, on whom we're, apparently, putting a lot of 'trust' on…_

Yukito patted Touya on the back with reassurance when he noticed that he was worried.

"Don't worry. I'm sure…"

Before Yukito was able to complete his sentence, and before Touya was able to turn towards him and look at him, Yukito's chair flipped and fell on the ground with a large thud.

"Yukito!" Touya shouted as prepared to get up. Yukito was standing now, with his hands on his head, and his face scrunched up. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

Everyone in the table, including the king, gasped at the sight.

_Argghhh…_ Yukito moaned lowly, and his spectacles slid down from his head to the floor. Touya tried to support him by grabbing him on the shoulder. The king and a few other officials had already stood up, clearly worried about what was going down.

Yukito slowly leaned on Touya and put a hand out forward to reassure the audience.

"It's fine." He was breathless. "Just a headache… That's all. I apologize and please, do excuse me."

The grey-haired young man slowly walked towards the ball room exit, with Touya grabbing on to him. A couple of guards approached them to offer assistance, but Touya shooed them off. This wasn't the first time he was seeing Yukito like this. He had chronic headaches before. Studying Yukito's fatal expression, he had to admit that the case very severe this time though. It brought Touya back to how Yukito was acting quite strange recently. Just a few moments ago, Yukito had casually finished eating seven whole turkeys in the dinner table. All the officials were staring at him, but he never seemed to notice. Touya knew that Yukito loved food, but what's going on was definitely far from normal. And not to mention the fact that he was zoning out frequently now and then…

The two of them had been walking for a few minutes, until Yukito started tugging himself in the other way. Touya looked to his right to see one of the castles balcony. Thinking that Yukito probably wanted some fresh air, he guided his friend towards the open space that was dimly lit by the moonlight.

Yukito rested his back against the rails of the balcony, breathed heavily, and also let out a sigh of relief. The night air was soothing and less restricting than the dense atmosphere in the ball room.

"You alright there, Yuki?" Touya asked with concern. His black hair moved with the wind. He was wondering whether he should ask Yukito about the way he was behaving lately. But he decided to let it pass for the moment, thinking that now might not be a good time.

"Yeah…" Yukito smiled a weak smile; but it was a smile nonetheless; enough to ensure Touya, that is. "I'm feeling much better now." The grey haired man leaned further against the railing, threw his head back and sucked in the fresh air.

Touya smirked, greatly relieved. He turned and started to walk away.

"Alright. Let's go back then. I'm sure Dad's pretty worried."

Touya stopped in his tracks when a bright light shot across from his back. He gasped, and turned to look behind at Yukito.

**The Forest**

"Oh my god… what happened here?" Syaoran asked when he saw the tent that was ripped into pieces. The camping ground was inside out and the whole place was scattered with branches and leaves.

"The Wood," Keroberos pointed at the Clow Card in Syaoran's hand. Kero had reverted to his fake form; it happened voluntarily and he did have the energy to check if he was able to transform back. Syaoran looked at the card curiously; on it was a picture of a woman, wearing a green dress. Her hair was also green and there were vines surrounding her form.

"With that card, you can control trees and other plants." Kero informed, and looked around the place. "And, as you can see, the jungle is the perfect place to summon the card… But definitely not the ideal place to confront it though, that's for sure."

Syaoran nodded in understanding. This card was fierce; and it almost killed him. The amber eyed boy shuddered at the thought. He would've been dead by now if it weren't for the mysterious wind demoness that had saved his life.

He asked Kero about what he knew about wind demonesses. Kero just said that he had no idea what Syaoran was talking about.

Syaoran felt uneasy. There was a weird feeling in his chest when he thought about that woman. How she said that they would "cross paths again" and how she had already known his name. She obviously knew something he didn't. He was just an ordinary peasant traveler… Just what could her connection be with him?

He brushed the feeling away, thinking that he just wanted to thank her properly but never got to do so. He looked down at the sword that hung to his waist and stared at it.

_Guess you weren't much of a help today, huh?…_ Syaoran sighed and tapped the hilt, disappointedly. He looked towards the two girls who were lying asleep on the damaged soil, hoping they would wake up soon.

Kero was doing the same thing, until one of his teddy bear ears perked up and he looked up towards the full moon that floated in the sky. His black button-like eyes opened wide with surprise.

"Huh?" Syaoran confusedly looked upwards at it as well, to see what Kero was staring at.

"He's here…" The floating doll-like creature spoke up, his expression darkening.

"Who?..." Syaoran asked curiously, but he was interrupted by a feminine sounding yawn.

Kero and Syaoran looked back at the ground to see a pair of blinking green eyes.


End file.
